Figure 4.

SS-31 protects kidney mitochondrial structure after IR injury. Rats were subcutaneously treated with saline or SS-31 (2 mg/kg) 30 minutes before occlusion of renal blood flow for 45 minutes. Treatment was repeated just before onset of reperfusion. Ultrastructural studies of kidney sections obtained after 20-minute reperfusion were carried out using transmission electron microscopy. Representative sections from the outer medulla of a saline-treated rat show disruption of normal tubular cytoarchitecture (A and B). Note many rounded, swollen mitochondria with disrupted cristae architecture (*). Some mitochondria show disruption of membranes and release of matrix materials into the cytosol (arrow head). Other swollen mitochondria show complete loss of cristae (arrow). Some normal elongated mitochondria with dense matrix can be observed (B). Representative sections from the outer medulla of a SS-31-treated rat appear quite normal with numerous mitochondria within membrane infoldings near the basement membrane (BM) (C and D). Although a few swollen mitochondria can be found in some cells (*), most mitochondria were elongated with well preserved cristae structure. All images were magnified ×15,000. Scale bar = 500 nm.