EFFECTS OF CAPTOPRIL ON MORPHOLOGIC CHANGES IN KIDNEY OF SPONTANEOUSLY HYPERTENSIVE RATS WITH ADRIAMYCIN NEPHROPATHY

Antihypertensive therapy has been shown to slow down the progression o f chronic renal failure. Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and calcium antagonists have been emphasized as the agents with the most p rotective effect. Our previous study showed that captopril slowed down renal function deterioration in the early course of adriamycin (ADR) nephropathy in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). The present stud y was undertaken with the aim to examine morphologic changes associate d with that slower renal function deterioration. Adult (24 weeks) fema le SHR were randomly divided into the following groups: the control gr oup (n = 12) was given tap water to drink; the adriamycin (ADR) group (n = 25) was treated with ADR; the ADR-captopril (ADR-C) group (n = 27 ) was treated with ADR and thereafter with captopril (60 mg/kg/day). R ats were sacrificed at weeks 6, 12 and 18 and histologic analysis was semiquantitatively performed. In the control group the glomeruli exhib ited only minor changes at the end of the study. In the ADR group slig ht glomerular mesangial hypercellularity appeared in the sixth week an d progressed in focal and segmental sclerosis. Some glomeruli showed s egmental proliferation and increased fibrular matrix of a tuft adheren t to a fibrocellular crescents. In the ADR-C group, glomeruli with a s light increase of mesangial matrix were seen at the end of the sixth w eek, mesangial hypercellularity developed until the end of the sixth w eek mesangial hyper cellularity developed until the end of the 12th we ek and segmental glomerulosclerosis until the end of the study Semiqua ntitative analysis revealed that the mean semiquantitative scores for mesangial expansion and glomerular sclerosis were significantly lower in ADR-C group than in ADR group thoughout the study. We concluded tha t captopril slowed down mesangial expansion and reduced the developmen t of glomerular sclerosis.