Mesenchymal Conversion of Mesothelial Cells Is a Key Event in the Pathophysiology of the Peritoneum during Peritoneal Dialysis
Figure 1
Structural alteration of the peritoneal membrane during PD. (a) Normal peritoneal tissue from a healthy donor stained with Haematoxylin-eosin (H&E) shows a preserved MCs monolayer that lines a compact zone of connective tissue (A). Peritoneal membrane from a PD patient stained with H&E shows the loss of the MCs monolayer and increased thickness of the compact zone (B). Magnification ×200. Staining of the peritoneal vessels with anti-CD31 antibody demonstrates an intense angiogenesis in peritoneal membrane from PD patient (C). Hyalinizing vasculopathy can be observed in the peritoneal tissue from PD patient (D). Immunohistochemical analysis of the peritoneal membrane from PD patient reveals the presence of fibroblast-like cells embedded in the fibrotic stroma expressing the mesothelial markers cytokeratins and calretinin (E) and (F). Magnification ×150. (b) Schematic representation of the progressive alterations of the peritoneal membrane in the time course of PD.
