Affiliations: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine of
Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão, Preto, Brazil | Department of General Pathology, Faculty of Medicine
of Triângulo Mineiro, Uberaba – MG. Brazil | Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine of
Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão, Preto,
Brazil | Division of Nephrology, Faculty of Medicine of
Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão, Preto,
Brazil
Note: [] Address for Correspondence: R.S. Costa, Department of Pathology,
Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, Av. Bandeirantes 3900, CEP
14049-900, SP, Brazil. Tel./Fax: +55 (16) 3602 4551; E-mail: rscosta@fmrp.usp.br
Abstract: Some studies have demonstrated the involvement of nuclear
factor-kappa B (NF-kB) in the pathogenesis of glomerulonephritis. The aim of
our study was twofold: (1) to analyze the prognostic value of NF-kB expression
in primary IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and (2) to compare the results of NF-kB
expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and southwestern histochemistry (SWH).
We analyzed 62 patients diagnosed with IgAN from 1987 to 2003. We used
monoclonal antibodies to CD68 and mast cell tryptase and polyclonal antibodies
to TGF-β1, α-SMA and NF-kB
p65. We used SWH for the in situ detection of activated NF-kB. The
results showed that NF-kB expression (mainly by SWH) correlated with clinical
and histological parameters. An unfavorable clinical course of IgAN was
significantly related to tubular NF-kB expression by SWH, but not by IHC. The
Kaplan-Meier curves demonstrated that increased NF-kB expression, which was
measured by IHC and SWH, decreased renal survival. In conclusion, the increased
expression of NF-kB in the tubular area may be a predictive factor for the poor
prognosis of patients with IgAN. Compared with IHC, NF-kB expression determined
by SWH was correlated with a larger number of parameters of poor disease outcome.
Keywords: IgA nephropathy, southwestern histochemistry, NF-kB, renal fibrosis
