Possible involvement of myofibroblasts in cellular recovery of uranyl acetate-induced acute renal failure in rats.

Cellular recovery in acute renal failure is a form of wound healing. Fibroblast-like cells or myofibroblasts are involved in wound healing. We examined the serial changes in tubular damage and origin and kinetics of regenerating cells in uranyl acetate-induced acute renal failure, with a special emphasis on interstitial myofibroblasts. Acute renal failure was induced in rats by intravenous injection of uranyl acetate (5 mg/kg). All rats received bromodeoxyuridine intraperitoneally 1 hour before sacrifice. Serial changes in the distribution of tubular necrosis and bromodeoxyuridine-incorporated or vimentin-positive regenerating cells, and their spatial and temporal relation to alpha-smooth muscle actin-positive myofibroblasts as well as ED 1-positive monocytes/macrophages were examined. Necrotic tubules initially appeared around the corticomedullary junction after uranyl acetate injection, then spread both downstream and upstream of proximal tubules. Peritubular alpha-smooth muscle actin-positive myofibroblasts appeared and extended along the denuded tubular basement membrane, establishing network formation throughout the cortex and the outer stripe of outer medulla at days 4 to 5. Tubular regeneration originated in nonlethally injured cells in the distal end of S3 segments, which was confirmed by lectin and immunohistochemical staining using markers for tubular segment. Subsequently, upstream proliferation was noted along the tubular basement membrane firmly attached by myofibroblasts. During cellular recovery, no entry of myofibroblasts into the tubular lumen across the tubular basement membrane was noted and only a few myofibroblasts showed bromodeoxyuridine positivity. The fractional area of alpha-smooth muscle actin-positive interstitium reached a peak level at day 7 in the cortex and outer stripe of outer medulla, then gradually disappeared by day 15 and remained only around dilated tubules and in the expanded interstitium at day 21. ED 1-positive monocytes/macrophages were transiently infiltrated mainly into the region of injury. They did not show specific association with initially necrotic tubules, but some of them located in close proximity to regenerating tubules. Nonlethally injured cells at the distal end of proximal tubules are likely to be the main source of tubular regeneration, and the transient appearance of interstitial myofibroblasts attached to the tubular basement membrane immediately after tubular necrosis might play a role in promoting cellular recovery in possible association with monocytes/macrophages in uranyl acetate-induced acute renal failure.