Development of injury in a rat model of chronic renal allograft rejection:effect of dietary protein restriction

Non-allogeneic factors such as increased nephron "workload" may contribute to chronic renal allograft rejection. Reducing dietary protein from 20% to 8% was tested in a model of chronic rejection: Dark Agouti kidney to Albino Surgery recipient, "tolerised" by previous donor blood transfusions. Survi val, weight gain, serum creatinine concentration and creatinine clearance w ere similar for both groups at all times. Urinary protein was significantly (P < 0.05) lower in the low-protein (LP) group 1 month after transplantati on. After 3 and 6 months. both groups demonstrated mild chronic rejection. After 6 months, tubular atrophy was significantly (P < 0.05) less in the LP group and interstitial fibrosis was marginally reduced. Glomerular hypertr ophy, glomerular sclerosis, tubular dilatation, leucocyte infiltration, adh esion molecule expression and TGF-beta(1) mRNA expression were similarly in creased in both groups. Thus, reducing dietary protein to 8% lowered urinar y protein, but did not significantly affect the development of chronic reje ction in renal allografts beyond affording a degree of protection from tubu lointerstitial damage.