GROWTH OF PROXIMAL TUBULAR CELLS IN TBE PRESENCE OF ALBUMIN AND PROTEINURIC URINE

The degree of interstitial scarring and proteinuria both correlate wit h renal function in progressive renal disease. Cellular hypertrophy an d hyperplasia have been shown to occur under different experimental co nditions. This study investigated the effect of protein on the growth of OK cells. Bovine serum albumin (BSA)- and fatty-acid-free BSA (FFBS A)-stimulated proliferation of OK cells and hypertrophy occurred when the cells were incubated with 10 mg/ml of BSA or FFBSA. Incubation wit h proteinuric urine from nephrotic rats resulted in much greater proli feration. Hence protein can alter proximal tubular cell growth in cult ure and the mixture of proteins in proteinuric urine has a greater eff ect than can be explained by albumin alone. These findings may be of s ignificance in the progression of renal disease and indicate the poten tial importance of urinary proteins other than albumin in modulating t ubular cell growth.