Mechanism of elevated local oxidant stress in early anti-glomerular basement membrane nephritis: an evaluation of oxidant production and superoxide dismutase expression.

The present study was designed to identify the mechanism of increased oxidant stress in the rat model of anti-glomerular basement membrane nephritis. Sixty-three Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with nephrotoxic serum and evaluated 1 to 24 hours later. In these rats, CeCl3 deposition, an index of hydrogen peroxide production, was observed on the surfaces of glomerular endothelial cells and polymorphonuclear leukocytes, whereas no such depositions were observed in controls. Renal cortical level of lipid peroxidation products (phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxide) was significantly (p < 0.05) elevated at one hour after the injection and remained elevated at least for 24 hours. Protein levels of glomerular Mn-superoxide dismutase (SOD) decreased from 1.55 +/- 0.38 microgram/mg protein to 0.67 +/- 0.18 microgram/mg protein at one hour and normalized by 12 hours after the injection. The activity of the enzyme showed a similar trend. In contrast, Mn-SOD mRNA increased 3.4-fold at 3 hours after the injection. In situ hybridization showed increased Mn-SOD mRNA expression in glomeruli. Cu/Zn-SOD mRNA expression was transiently suppressed. These results indicated that both increase in local production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reduction in antioxidant enzyme activities are responsible for the enhanced oxidant stress in the heterologous phase of anti-glomerular basement membrane nephritis. The paradoxical increase in Mn-SOD mRNA expression indicates that the posttranscriptional down regulation of Mn-SOD (i.e., reduction in protein and activity) and the increased ROS may activate transcription of the gene.