MESANGIAL EXPRESSION OF INTERCELLULAR-ADHESION MOLECULE-1 IN PRIMARY GLOMERULOSCLEROSIS

Frozen sections of renal biopsy specimens from eight patients with primary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and 10 patients with membranous nephropathy (MN) were stained in immunoperoxidase with the intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) monoclonal antibody (MoAb), CL203.4. ICAM-1 was expressed by mesangial cells in six patients with FSGS. On the other hand, ICAM-1 was not detected in mesangial cells in patients with MN or in the non-affected portion of tumoral kidneys used to control normal renal expression of ICAM-1. De novo mesangial expression of ICAM-1 in FSGS suggests that sclerosis results from an inflammatory process, possibly associated with local release of cytokines.