Recombinant Erythropoietin Provides Protection against Renal Fibrosis in Adenine-Induced Chronic Kidney Disease

Figure 2

rEPO prevents renal fibrosis and reduces α-SMA and Col-1 expression in Ad-CKD rats. (a) Masson’s trichrome stain (40x), micrographs of kidney sections. Control group (CTL), no histological changes were observed; adenine-fed rats (Ad-CKD) showed remarkable interstitial fibrosis (blue). Ad-CKD rats treated with rEPO (Ad-CKD+rEPO) displayed less fibrosis area. (b) Collagen 1α/DAPI staining. Dot-like staining can be seen in the control group; however, the Ad-CKD group displays continuous collagen deposition in the interstitial space, whereas the Ad-CKD+rEPO group collagen deposition only outlines tubular structure. (c) α-SMA/DAPI staining. No interstitial staining can be seen in the control group but the Ad-CKD group displays net-like staining around tubules and glomeruli (3 cortical fields per animal were analyzed) (40x). Scale bar is 20 μm.