Renoprotective effect of epoetin beta pegol by the prevention of M2 macrophage recruitment in Thy-1 rats

Background Glomerulonephritis (GN) develops via accumulation of extracellular matrix through macrophage recruitment in glomeruli. It is unclear whether epoetin beta pegol (continuous erythropoietin receptor activator, CERA), a long-acting erythropoiesis-stimulating agent, exerts a renoprotective effect by preventing glomerulosclerosis. We examined the renoprotective effect of CERA in rats with Thy-1 glomerulonephritis (Thy-1-GN), an animal model for mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis.