Vascular expression of clusterin in experimental cyclosporine nephrotoxicity

Abstract

Clusterin is a widely expressed glycoprotein, which appears to be induced during tissue damage. We have examined the expression of the clusterin gene in the kidney during the development of cyclosporine (CyA)-induced nephrotoxicity in the rat using in situ hybridization histochemistry. Female Sprague-Dawley rats (170 g) were divided into experimental or control groups and were given intraperitoneal injections of CyA (25 mg/kg) or vehicle respectively for 2, 4 and 6 weeks. Kidneys from animals sacrificed at these times were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde and embedded in paraffin. Tissue sections were hybridized using either a sense or antisense riboprobe complementary to clusterin mRNA which wa..