Mesangial cells: renal function protagonists or coadjuvants?

Abstract

In order to achieve homeostasis, each kidney has about one million nephrons made up of different types of cells and tissues. The functional harmony of the cells of the renal parenchyma relies on a sophisticated bio-automation network devised to ensure the order and effectiveness of integrated biological responses. Mesangial cells (MC) and the mesangial matrix were first described in the mid-nineteenth century, as the components of a region called glomerular mesangium (between vessels). For a long time mesangial cells were [...]