Role of mast cells, stem cell factor and protease-activated receptor-2 in tubulointerstitial lesions in IgA nephropathy

Background To elucidate the role of mast cells (MCs) in the pathogenesis of tubulointerstitial lesions in IgA nephropathy (IgAN), we investigated the number of MCs, serum stem cell factor (SCF), protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) and α-smooth-muscle actin (α-SMA) in the kidney and the correlation between MC number, SCF, PAR-2, α-SMA and tubulointerstitial lesions in biopsy specimens and serum creatinine levels, urinary protein excretion in patients with IgA nephropathy.