Host: The Japanese Society of Toxicology
To clarify the role of CD44 in acute kidney injury to chronic kidney disease transition, 6-week-old male SD rats were treated with 6 mg/kg of cisplatin and necropsied after 1 to 28 days. CD44 was expressed in dilated tubules after day 5 and dilated/atrophic tubules in fibrotic lesions after day 14. At day 28, pathway analysis indicated CD44 as inducer of fibrosis related genes, such as Fn1. Fn1 mRNA and protein were expressed in cytoplasm of dilated/atrophic tubules and stroma, respectively. These results indicated CD44 as trigger of extracellular matrix secretion in dilated/atrophic tubules.