Growth of proximal tubular cells in the presence of albumin and proteinuric urine.

The degree of interstitial scarring and proteinuria both correlate with renal function in progressive renal disease. Cellular hypertrophy and hyperplasia have been shown to occur under different experimental conditions. This study investigated the effect of protein on the growth of OK cells. Bovine serum albumin (BSA)- and fatty-acid-free BSA (FFBSA)-stimulated proliferation of OK cells and hypertrophy occurred when the cells were incubated with 10 mg/ml of BSA or FFBSA. Incubation with proteinuric urine from nephrotic rats resulted in much greater proliferation. Hence protein can alter proximal tubular cell growth in culture and the mixture of proteins in proteinuric urine has a greater effect than can be explained by albumin alone. These findings may be of significance in the progression of renal disease and indicate the potential importance of urinary proteins other than albumin in modulating tubular cell growth.