Association Of Nitric Oxide Production And Apoptosis In A Model Of Experimental Nephropathy

and apoptosis are important in the pathogenesis of the ADR-induced nephrosis. Background. In recent studies increased amounts of nitric oxide (NO) and apoptosis have been implicated Keywords: adriamycin-induced nephropathy; aminoin various pathological conditions in the kidney. We guanidine; apoptosis; isolated perfused rat kidney; have studied the role of NO and its association with nitric oxide apoptosis in an experimental model of nephrotic syndrome induced by a single injection of adriamycin (ADR). Methods. The alteration in the NO pathway was Introduction assessed by measuring nitrite levels in serum/urine and by evaluating the changes in vascular reactivity of the Nitric oxide (NO) is a small signalling molecule reguisolated perfused rat kidney (IPRK ) system. Rats were lating a variety of diverse cellular functions including stratified into control groups and ADR-induced many physiological and pathophysiological processes nephropathy groups. These two groups were then ranging from regulation of vascular tonus to neuronal divided into: group 1, animals receiving saline; and transmission, from apoptosis to inflammation. Most group 2, animals receiving aminoguanidine (AG) of the physiological actions are mediated by NO bursts which is a specific inhibitor of inducible-NO synthase. generated by constitutive isoforms of nitric oxide synOn day 21, rats were sacrificed after obtaining material thase (cNOS). On the other hand, when produced by for biochemical analysis. inducible NOS (iNOS), in large amounts for long Results. Histopathological examination of the kidneys periods, NO can be a cytotoxic agent [1–4]. Under of rats treated with ADR revealed focal areas of inflammatory conditions, glomerular mesangial cells, mesangial proliferation and mild tubulointerstitial endothelial cells, macrophages, neutrophils and vascuinflammation. They also had significantly higher levels lar smooth muscle cells can express iNOS. The NO of proteinuria compared with control and treatment produced by iNOS, may be one of the key elements in groups (P