Caracterização das alterações renais em camundongos esquistossomóticos submetidos à ingestão de etanol

Abstract

The main organ affected by both ethanol ingestion and schistosomiasis mansoni is the liver. However, both situations can also affect other organs, such as the kidneys. The aim of this study was to evaluate the kidneys of schistosomal mice associated with ethanol ingestion. Male Swiss Webster mice were infected with 80 cercariae (Schistosoma mansoni strain BH) and ingested 18% ethanol orally (by gavage), once a day, at 200µ/day, for 28 consecutive days, with administration starting on the fifth week after infection. The groups were divided into: CNI Group (uninfected and without ethanol); AL Group (uninfected and with ethanol); IN Group (infected and without ethanol); INAL Group (infected and with ethanol). After nine weeks of infection, the animals were euthanized and the kidneys were removed, fixed, subjected to routine histological processing and stained in hematoxylin and eosin (HE) to assess qualitative, morphometric and stereological histopathological changes, and Picrosirius red (polarization) to quantify collagen in the parenchyma. The following parameters were assessed: area of the glomerulus; area of the glomerular tuft; area of Bowman's space; diameter of the glomerular tuft; percentage volume density of the cortex; medulla; glomeruli; proximal and distal tubules; vessels; and possible leukocyte infiltrates. Statistics were performed using the One-Way ANOVA test, with the Student-Newman-Keuls post-test, considering p-values≤0.05. The histopathology of the AL group showed leukocyte infiltration, protein denaturation, medullary edema and vacuolization of the proximal convoluted tubules. The IN group also showed a leukocyte infiltrate, necrosis of the proximal tubules, medullary edema and destruction of Bowman's capsule. In addition to the alterations described above, the INAL group showed proliferation of mesangial cells and smaller glomeruli compared to the other groups studied. The animals in the AL (+342%) and INAL (+349%) groups showed an increase in collagen deposition compared to the CNI group. Morphometry showed an increase in the parameters analyzed: total glomerulus area in the AL group (+47%), IN group (+71%) and INAL group (+54%) compared to the CNI group; glomerular tuft area in the AL group (+42%), IN group (+82%) and INAL group (+72%) compared to the CNI group; Bowman's space area in the AL group (+58%), IN group (+51%) and INAL group (+68%) compared to the CNI group; glomerular tuft diameter in the AL group (+21%), C group (+39%) and INAL group (+42%) compared to the CNI group and there was an increase in the INAL group compared to the AL group (+17%). With regard to the percentage of volume density, the proximal convoluted tubules showed a decrease in the IN group (-22%) and INAL group (-22%) compared to the CNI group, the distal convoluted tubules showed a lower percentage in the AL group (-62%), IN group (-58%) and INAL group (-79%) compared to the CNI group, and there was an increase in leukocyte infiltrate in the AL group (+14%), C group (+13%) and INAL group (+16%) compared to the CNI group. It was concluded that the association altered the integrity of the renal parenchyma, increasing the inflammatory process, generating serious morphofunctional damage to the organ, which caused exacerbated renal injury.