The Relationship Between Osteopontin And Macrophage Infiltration In Renal Tissues In Patients With Lupus Nephritis

Objective:To investigate the relationship between the expression of osteopontin(OPN)and the infiltration of macrophages in renal tissues inpatients with lupus nephritis(LN),and provide the evidence of mechanism of lupus nephritis.Method : Sixty patients diagnosed with LN by renal biopsy were selected as the experimental group,and 10 normal renal tissues from patients undergoing renal resection were selected as the control group.According to the SLE disease activity index(r SLEDAI),LN patients were divided into active group(38 cases)and inactive group(22 cases).All clinical data were collected from all subjects,and renal biopsy was performed with light microscopy,immunofluorescence,and electron microscopy.The expression of osteopontin(OPN)and the infiltration of macrophages(CD68+cells)in the renal tissue of 60 LN patients and 10 normal cases were detected by immunohistochemical method.Statistical analysis was used to analyze the correlation between variables.Result:(1)Kidney pathology showed that there was significant inflammatory cell infiltration in the renal tissue of patients with LN,and the podocyte foot processes were extensively fused or even disappeared;Renal pathological changes were evident,and inflammatory cell infiltration and podocyte foot process fusion were more severe in the LN active group than in the non-active group(P< 0.05).(2)Compared with the normal control group,the number of macrophages infiltrated in renal tissue of LN patients was significantly increased.(3)Compared with the normal control group,the expression of OPN in LN patients was significantly increased,and the expression level of OPN in active patients was significantly higher than that in inactive group(P<0.05).(4)There was a significant positive correlation between macrophage infiltration and renal OPN expression in renal tissue of LN patients(P<0.001).Conclusions:The infiltration of macrophage and the expression of OPN in the kidney of the patient were related to the disease activity of LN.Renal macrophage infiltration is closely related to the expression of OPN.The high expression of OPN is an important mediator of macrophage infiltration in the process of lupus nephritis,which may be one of the potential mechanisms of lupus nephritis.