Abstract
Research indicates that minimal change disease (MCD) and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) may reflect varying severities of the same underlying condition, with inflammation potentially facilitating the progression from MCD to FSGS. The aim of this study was to determine the whether systemic inflammation accelerated the progression from MCD to FSGS in a mouse model of Adriamycin-induced nephrosis. In this model, systemic inflammation induced transient proteinuria without significant serum biochemical alterations or significant renal histological changes in control mice that did not develop nephrotic syndrome. In contrast, both mice with Adriamycin-induced nephrosis mice and mice with Adriamycin-induced nephrosis with systemic inflammation showed histological features of MCD at week 4 and progressive exacerbation of FSGS. However, the glomerular lesions of mice with Adriamycin-induced nephrosis in a state of systemic inflammation were more obvious than those of mice with Adriamycin-induced nephrosis. These findings suggest that systemic inflammation may hasten histological development from MCD to FSGS in this mouse model.