Podocyte loss and progressive glomerular injury in type II diabetes.

TLDR

Kidney biopsies from Pima Indians with type II diabetes were examined, classifying subjects into early diabetes, microalbuminuria, normoalbuminuria with similar duration, and clinical nephropathy groups. Microalbuminuria was associated with moderate glomerular and mesangial enlargement but similar to normoalbuminuric controls, whereas clinical nephropathy showed global sclerosis, mesangial expansion, basement membrane thickening, podocyte foot process widening, and podocyte loss, indicating podocyte loss drives diabetic nephropathy progression.

Abstract

Kidney biopsies from Pima Indians with type II diabetes were analyzed. Subjects were classified clinically as having early diabetes (n = 10), microalbuminuria (n = 17), normoalbuminuria, despite a duration of diabetes equal to that of the subjects with microalbuminuria (n = 12), or clinical nephropathy (n = 12). Subjects with microalbuminuria exhibited moderate increases in glomerular and mesangial volume when compared with those with early diabetes, but could not be distinguished from subjects who remained normoalbuminuric after an equal duration of diabetes. Subjects with clinical nephropathy exhibited global glomerular sclerosis and more prominent structural abnormalities in nonsclerosed glomeruli. Marked mesangial expansion was accompanied by a further increase in total glomerular volume. Glomerular capillary surface area remained stable, but the glomerular basement membrane thickness was increased and podocyte foot processes were broadened. Broadening of podocyte foot processes was associated with a reduction in the number of podocytes per glomerulus and an increase in the surface area covered by remaining podocytes. These findings suggest that podocyte loss contributes to the progression of diabetic nephropathy.