A new low nephron-CKD model with hypertension, progressive decline of renal function and enhanced inflammation in C57BL/6 mice

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major health issue in the United States. The typical five-sixths nephrectomy (typical 5/6 NX) is a widely used experimental CKD model. However, the typical 5/6 NX model is hypertensive in rats, but strain dependent in mice. In particular, C57BL/6 mice with the typical 5/6 NX exhibits normal blood pressure and well-preserved renal function. The goal of the present study is to create a new hypertensive CKD model in C57BL/6 mice. We first characterized the vascular architecture originated from each renal artery branch by confocal laser scanning microscopy with fluorescent lectin. Then, a novel 5/6 NX-BL model was generated by uninephrectomy combined with 2/3 renal infarction via a ligation of upper renal artery branch on the contralateral kidney. Compared with 5/6 NX-C, the 5/6 NX-BL model exhibited elevated mean arterial pressure (137.6{plus minus}13.9 vs. 104.7{plus minus}8.2 mmHg), decreased glomerular filtration rate (82.9{plus minus}19.2 vs. 125.0{plus minus}13.9 µl/min...