Raman-based detection of hydroxyethyl starch in kidney allograft biopsies as a potential marker of allograft quality in kidney transplant recipients.

In brain-dead donor resuscitation, hydroxyethyl starch (HES) use has been associated with presence of osmotic-nephrosis-like lesions in kidney transplant recipients. Our aim was to determine whether the presence of HES in protocol renal graft biopsies at three months (M3) after transplantation is associated with renal graft quality. According to the HES administered to the donor during the procurement procedure, two groups of patients were defined according graft exposition to HES: HES group, (N = 20) and control group (N = 6). Detection and relative quantification of HES was performed by Raman spectroscopy microimaging on M3 protocol renal graft biopsies. Statistical analyses were used to investigate the association between Raman data and graft characteristics. HES spectral signal was revealed negative in the control group, whereas it was positive in 40% of biopsies from the HES group. In the HES group, a stronger HES signal was associated with a lower risk of graft failure measured by the Kidney Donor Risk Index (KDRI) and was correlated with the allograft kidney function. Thus, HES accumulation in donor kidney, as probed by Raman biophotonic technique, is correlated with the quality of donor kidney and consequently the graft renal function and graft survival.

Cellular Cholesterol Distribution Influences Proteolytic Release of the LRP-1 Ectodomain.

Low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein-1 (LRP-1) is a multifunctional matricellular receptor composed of a large ligand-binding subunit (515-kDa α-chain) associated with a short trans-membrane subunit (85-kDa ß-chain). LRP-1, which exhibits both endocytosis and cell signaling properties, plays a key role in tumor invasion by regulating the activity of proteinases such as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). LRP-1 is shed at the cell surface by proteinases such as membrane-type 1 MMP (MT1-MMP) and a disintegrin and metalloproteinase-12 (ADAM-12). Here, we show by using biophysical, biochemical, and cellular imaging approaches that efficient extraction of cell cholesterol and increased LRP-1 shedding occur in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells but not in MDA-MB-435 cells. Our data show that cholesterol is differently distributed in both cell lines; predominantly intracellularly for MDA-MB-231 cells and at the plasma membrane for MDA-MB-435 cells. This study highlights the relationship between the rate and cellular distribution of cholesterol and its impact on LRP-1 shedding modulation. Altogether, our data strongly suggest that the increase of LRP-1 shedding upon cholesterol depletion induces a higher accessibility of the sheddase substrate, i.e., LRP-1, at the cell surface rather than an increase of expression of the enzyme.

Renal Graft Fibrosis and Inflammation Quantification by an Automated Fourier-Transform Infrared Imaging Technique.

Renal interstitial fibrosis and interstitial active inflammation are the main histologic features of renal allograft biopsy specimens. Fibrosis is currently assessed by semiquantitative subjective analysis, and color image analysis has been developed to improve the reliability and repeatability of this evaluation. However, these techniques fail to distinguish fibrosis from constitutive collagen or active inflammation. We developed an automatic, reproducible Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) imaging-based technique for simultaneous quantification of fibrosis and inflammation in renal allograft biopsy specimens. We generated and validated a classification model using 49 renal biopsy specimens and subsequently tested the robustness of this classification algorithm on 166 renal grafts. Finally, we explored the clinical relevance of fibrosis quantification using FTIR imaging by comparing results with renal function at 3 months after transplantation (M3) and the variation of renal function between M3 and M12. We showed excellent robustness for fibrosis and inflammation classification, with >90% of renal biopsy specimens adequately classified by FTIR imaging. Finally, fibrosis quantification by FTIR imaging correlated with renal function at M3, and the variation in fibrosis between M3 and M12 correlated well with the variation in renal function over the same period. This study shows that FTIR-based analysis of renal graft biopsy specimens is a reproducible and reliable label-free technique for quantifying fibrosis and active inflammation. This technique seems to be more relevant than digital image analysis and promising for both research studies and routine clinical practice.

Probing in vitro ribose induced DNA-glycation using Raman microspectroscopy.

To identify and characterize glycation, induced modifications of DNA are crucial toward understanding their functional significance due to their significant role in the long term control of aging and age-related diseases. In this study, we present the ability of Raman microspectroscopy as a novel analytical technique for a rapid and reliable identification of glycated DNA in a reagent-free manner. We have demonstrated that this technique has potential to provide very small conformational modifications. The combination of principal component analysis (PCA) and two-dimensional (2D) correlation spectroscopy has assisted us to explore in vitro DNA-glycation and provide more insights into the dynamics of the DNA-glycation process in an easier fashion. PCA analysis of Raman spectra shows a clear discrimination between native and glycated DNA samples. On the other hand, 2D correlation Raman analysis provides sequential order of the mechanism of the DNA-glycation process, and most likely, it occurs in the following sequence: Structural modifications of individual nucleobases (G > A > C) → DNA backbone modifications → partial transition of DNA conformations (A to B form). Our observations clearly suggest that the structure of DNA is altered, i.e., a partial transition of DNA backbone conformation from A to B form when glycated, but does not induce any final transition in DNA double helix conformation, and eventually, DNA presents in an intermediate A-B form, more toward the B form.