Roles of PPARγ in the filtration units of the kidney. The kidney
capsules (a) contain the glomerular capillaries covered with podocytes (pc). In the
wall of the afferent arterioles, modified smooth muscle cells form the
juxtaglomerular system (jg). The filtrated urine is guided to the proximal
tubules (pt). The distal tubules (dt) can return to the cortical kidney capsules
and their epithelial layers
serve as a chemosensory region, the macula densa (labeled with red). (b) PPARγ activation affects either
podocyte (pc), mesangial cell (ms), or endothel cell (en) functions. (c) Periodic
acid-Schiff (PAS) stained sections of a normal kidney capsule in mouse. (d) Glomerulonephritis
in high-fat diet fed mouse and (e) type
2 diabetic (db/db) mouse, showing intensive PAS staining of the expanded
mesangial matrix, thickening of glomerular walls, and enlargement of kidney
capsules. (f) Summary of PPARγ-mediated cellular events
in mesangial cells, podocytes, kidney macrophages, and glomerular endothel
cells.
