Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), leucocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) and leucocyte infiltration in proliferative human glomerulonephritis.

The expression of the intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), infiltrating cells positive for its ligand leucocyte adhesion molecule-1(LFA-1), and the markers of total leucocytes (CD45RB), T cells (CD45RO), and monocytes/macrophages (CD68) were examined by an indirect immunoperoxidase method on renal biopsy specimens from 20 patients with mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis-IgA negative (MesProGN) and 20 with IgA nephropathy (IgAN). Histologically, normal portions of the kidney tissue (n = 15) obtained from patients with renal trauma or renal tumours were used as controls. The expression of ICAM-1 was evident and extended in mesangium, on endothelial cells of peritubular capillaries, interstitial cells, several infiltrating immune cells and on tubular epithelial cells, particularly on atrophic tubuli in renal biopsies of MesProGN and IgAN. In both types of glomerulopathies a significant increase in the number of glomerular and interstitial LFA-1-positive cells correlated positively with the expression of ICAM-1. The number of glomerular and interstitial LFA-1-positive cells correlated positively with the number of monocytes/macrophages in glomeruli and interstitium. The strong correlation between expression of ICAM-1 and LFA-1 and between LFA-1-positive cells and immune cells makes these adhesion molecules useful markers of activity and suggest that they are involved in recruitment of leucocytes in the studied types of proliferative glomerulopathies.