Peripolar cells, granulated glomerular epithelial cells, and their relationship to the juxtaglomerular apparatus in malignant hypertension

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Abstract
We have examined 12 autopsy kidneys from cases of malignant hypertension and compared them with normal controls. Peripolar cells and other granulated glomerular epithelial cells were counted in serial paraffin sections, and renin-containing cells were quantified using an immunoperoxidase technique and a human renin antiserum. There were significantly more peripolar cells and other granulated glomerular epithelial cells in the cases of malignant hypertension. Most granulated glomerular epithelial cells were podocytes, situated at the periphery of the tuft. Peripolar cells correlated in number with other granulated glomerular epithelial cells and they had a similar distribution within the renal cortex, but there was no correlation between either of these cells and the number of renin-containing cells. There was hyperplasia of renin-containing cells in some juxtaglomerular apparatuses (JGAs), although the proportion of renin-positive JGAs was unaltered. These results suggest that peripolar cells and other glomerular epithelial cells react in a similar way in malignant hypertension, but they do not support the hypothesis that peripolar cells are part of the JGA.