Fig. 1.

Il18^−/− mice showed renal impairment in youth but no injury was observed at 48 weeks. a Hematoxylin–eosin, b periodic acid–Schiff, and c periodic acid methenamine silver staining were performed at 6, 12, and 48 weeks of age. Arrows in a–c at 6 weeks old indicate enucleated epithelial cells of the Bowman’s capsule and the collapse of glomerular capillaries. Scale bars represent 50 μm (a–c). To assess the degree of damage to the kidney, serum BUN (d) and CREA (e) were measured (n = 6–8 mice per group). Data are mean ± SD. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01. BUN: blood urea nitrogen; CREA: creatinine