Alanine-aminotransferase activities in the renal tissue during experimental and chronic human pyelonephritis.

In chronic experimental and human pyelonephritis (PN) simultaneously renal enzyme and phosphatide analyses and quantitative histological examinations were performed. The results reported in this study refer only to alanine-aminotransferase (AlAT) activities. 139 rabbits developed unilateral experimental pyelonephritis, in further 19 rabbits the experimental PN did not settle or "healed up spontaneously". 31 samples of human pyelonephritis nephrocirrhotic kidneys and 20 samples of healthy human kidneys were examined. Glomerular AlAT-activities increased initially up to the 31-days series, thereafter they decreased without any exception. In the cortical tubules of the rabbit kidneys the enzyme activities increased also up to the 31-days-series, later on they decreased extremely. The medullary AlAT-activities similarly showed increasing values till the 31-days-series, which were followed by sharply depressed data. In the "spontaneously healed up" tissue the glomerular AlAT was increased more than 100%, the cortico-tubular one nearly 100%, and the AlAT of the medulla paralleled the increased values of the 20-days series nearly. The human samples of pyelonephritic nephrocirrhosis showed in all 3 fractions (glomerula, cortical tubules and medulla) extremely depressed AlAT-activities. The significance calculations (universally applied t-test) showed an overhelming majority of the values with significance (p less than 0.001). The measured enzyme activities correlate well with the quantitative histological examinations.