Hydroxyl radical scavengers ameliorate proteinuria in rat immune complex glomerulonephritis
Rahman, M.A.; Emancipator, S.S.; Sedor, J.R.
Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine 112(5): 619-626
1988
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-2143 PMID: 2460571 Document Number: 306889
We examined the effect of the administration of different oxygen radical scavengers on the development of glomerulonephritis induced by cationic bovine .gamma.-globulin (cBGG). Treatment with the H2O2 scavenger catalase or the superoxide anion (O2-) scavenger superoxide dismutase (SOD) did not significantly reduce proteinuria. In contrast, treatment with the hydroxyl radical (OH.cntdot.) scavengers dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or dimethylthiourea resulted in significant decrements in proteinuria, from 156 .+-. 29 mg/24 hours in saline solution.sbd.treated control rats to 70 .+-. 17 mg/24 hours (p < 0.05) and 37 .+-. 10 mg/24 hours (p < 0.01) in DMSO- and dimethylthiourea-treated rats, respectively. Therapy with DMSO for 5 days after induction of glomerular disease also resulted in amelioration of proteinuria, 10.0 .+-. 5.0 mg/24 hours versus saline solution-treated rats, 67.6 .+-. 16.2 mg/24 hours (p < 0.005). OH.cntdot. scavenger therapy did not influence glomerular morphology, glomerular immunoglobulin G (IgG), or complement deposition, or creatinine clearances of rats with glomerulonephritis. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in serum levels of Cf3 and C5 or anti-BGG antibody production between DMSO-treated rats and control rats. None of the radical scavengers administered altered the enhanced glomerular thromboxane synthesis characteristic of this model. Our results suggest that OH.cntdot. generation mediates in part glomerular injury in cBGG-induced glomerulonephritis.