Renal distribution of Vasohibin-1 in patients with chronic kidney disease

Experimental studies have demonstrated the involvement of angiogenesis-related factors in the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). There have so far been no reports investigating the distribution and clinical roles of Vasohibin-1 (VASH-1), a negative feedback regulator of angiogenesis, in CKD. We recruited 54 Japanese CKD patients and 6 patients who had normal renal tissues excised due to localized renal cell carcinoma. We evaluated the correlations between the renal expression level of VASH-1 and the clinical/histological parameters. VASH-1 was observed in renal endothelial/mesangial cells, crescentic lesions and interstitial inflammatory cells. Significant positive correlations were observed between 1) crescent formation and the number of VASH-1⁺ cells in the glomerulus (r=0.48, /> = 0.001) or cortex (r = 0.64, p< 0.0001), 2) interstitial cell infiltration and the number of VASH-1⁺ cells in the cortex (r = 0.34, p = 0.02), 3) the glomerular VEGFR-2⁺ area and the number of VASH 1⁺ cells in the glomerulus (r = 0.44, p = 0.01) or medulla (r = 0.63, p = 0.01). These results suggest that the renal levels of VASH-1 may be affected by local inflammation, crescentic lesions and VEGFR-2.