Bone Morphogenic Protein Reverses Kidney Damage

Researchers have found that the 35-kDa homodimeric bone morphogenic protein (BMP-7), which is used for the treatment of bone fractures, can reverse chronic kidney damage by counteracting the process of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and removing scar tissue from the kidneys.

Investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston, MA, USA) employed a mouse model of chronic renal injury, characterized by the presence of scar tissue. The diseased mice were treated with human recombinant BMP-7.

"We found that in the kidneys, BMP-7 reverses a process known as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, which generates scar-causing cells known as fibroblasts,” explained senior author Dr. Raghu Kalluri, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Results of the study published in the July 2003 issue of Nature Medicine showed that BMP-7 first stimulated the reduction of the number of the fibroblast cells, and then the replacement of the damaged areas of the kidney tubules with healthy epithelial cells. "In effect,” said Dr. Kalluri, "BMP-7 is decreasing the bad cells (in this context, fibroblasts) and converting them into good cells (in this context, epithelial cells). The possibility of creating a cost-effective drug that would actually reverse renal injury could significantly reduce the need for dialysis and significantly improve the quality of life for these patients.”