The morphological changes in renal proximal tubules during E. Coli endotoxemia - electron microscopic study

Abstract

E. coli is a gram-negative bacterium, which is present in normal intestinal microflora and indicates the toxic influence to many cells of the body as well as renal vascular endothelial cells in the kidneys and epithelial cells of proximal and distal renal tubules. The toxic effect of E. coli is related to lipopolysaccharide containing endotoxin placed in their wall. The needle biopsy had been taken from 10 patients (7 females, 3 males) complicated by pain in kidneys and nephrotic syndrome in anamnesis during the E. coli endotoxemia. The Araldite-Epon blocks had been prepared from biopsy materials. The semi- and ultrathin sections obtained from these resin blocks were examined by JEM-1400 Transmission Electron Microscope and the electron micrograms were taken. The titer of E. coli endotoxin was high in the microbiological analysis of the urine of the 10 patients with kidney disease (7 of them were female and 3 – male). The mixed infection of E. coli and Salmonella were found in bacteriological analysis of 1 female. Upon the result of toxemic influence of E. coli endotoxin to the epithelial cells of renal tubules, the severe structural abnormalities and necrosis were found. The different results of morphological research of renal structures during the E. coli endotoxemia pointed that there aren’t same findings in epithelial cells of renal tubules in all patients. Finally, our findings can create a morphological basis for the future molecular investigations of acute endotoxemic kidney injury.