Glomerular response to immunologic injury, studies on progression

The relationship between the initial glomerular injury and its progression to glomerular sclerosis and eventual obsolescence remains an enigma. Specific probes are now becoming available to approach this issue. These include animal models of chronic immunologic and chemical injury that provide the opportunity for serial sampling. Tissues from human have also proven useful. Renal biopsy is a frequent clinical tool for the morphologic diagnosis and staging of renal lesions. In this report, the use of specific antibodies to determine the composition of the glomerular sclerosis in human and experimental diseases is presented. These approaches combined with data from isolated glomerular cells in vitro, and their responses to injury, may now make it feasible to embark on a detailed study of the pathogenesis of glomerular sclerosis.