Effect of heparin on mesangial cell growth and gene expression of matrix proteins.

Background.Mesangial cell (MC) proliferation and matrix expansion are characteristics of many glomerulopathies. Heparin has been shown to inhibit MC proliferation in vitro and mitigate cell proliferation, matrix expansion, proteinuria, renal insufficiency, and hypertension in experimental glomerulonephritis and subtotal renal ablation. We examined the effect of standard heparin on MC proliferation and matrix protein expression in vitro which necessarily excludes the confounding influences of haemodynamic, inflammatory, heamostatic, and various other processes that are present in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]