Modifications of glomerular fibrinolysis in human renal graft rejection

Abstract

The glomerular fibrinolytic activity (GFA) was studied using the fibrin slides technique for isolated glomeruli in normal human cortex ( N = 8) and in renal allografts ( N = 11), in order to evaluate whether fibrinolysis is modified after rejection. In normal cases all glomeruli showed a lytic zone when incubated at 37°C during 150 min; the mean GFA value was 0.0313 ± 0.0021 min −1. A highly significant decrease of the number of glomeruli showing a lytic zone was noted in rejected renal allografts; however, in the glomeruli which retain their fibrinolytic capacity, the GFA did not increase. This study indicates that the GFA can be quantitatively estimated in human glomeruli and suggests that the normal fibrinolytic capacity of numerous glomeruli is lost in rejected renal allografts.