Retinoid receptor-specific agonists alleviate experimental glomerulonephritis.

Retinoids are potent antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory compounds. We previously demonstrated that the natural pan-agonists all-trans retinoic acid (RA) and 13-cis RA efficiently preserve renal structure and function in rat mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis. We examine effects of synthetic retinoid receptor-specific agonists 1) to identify common and receptor subtype-specific pathways in this model and2) to characterize effects of retinoids on the renal endothelin (ET) system. Vehicle-injected control rats were compared with rats treated with daily subcutaneous injections of agonists specific for retinoid A (Ro-137410) and retinoid X (Ro-257386) receptors and the complex anti-activator protein-1 active retinoid BMS-453 7 days after induction of anti-Thy1.1 nephritis (n = 7–9/group). The different retinoids lowered glomerular ET-1 and ET type A and B receptor gene expression in control and nephritic rats with comparable efficacy. Reduction of glomerular c-Fos and GATA-2 mRNA expression levels s...