Cyclosporine A-induced renal fibrosis: a role for epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

ABSTRACT: Cyclosporine A, which has been the foremost immunosuppressive agent since the early 1980's, significantly improves the success of organ transplantation. However, common complications of cyclosporine A therapy, such as severe renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis, limit the drug's clinical use. Although the exact mechanisms driving cyclosporine A-induced tubulointerstitial fibrosis remain elusive, we hypothesized that epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) may play a major role. We investigated this in vitro by treating human proximal tubular cells with cyclosporine A. Morphological changes were observed after cyclosporine A treatment, including cell elongation (with a large degree of detachment), cytoskeletal rearrangement, and junctional disruption. In addition, expression of the myofibrobla

SUBMITTER: Slattery C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1603578 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature