Mathematical Modeling of Mesangial Matrix Expansion in Diabetic Kidney Disease - Ashlea Sartin and Ashlee N. Ford Versypt

Abstract

Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney disease. About 1 out of 4 adults with diabetes has kidney disease. The kidney is supposed to filter wastes and extra water out of the blood stream to produce urine. When the kidney is damaged, it cannot filter blood like it should, which leads to waste build up and excess water in the body and eventually to death. One of the key cell types damaged in the kidney is mesangial cells. Experiments have shown multiple chemical pathways that change mesangial cells in diabetic kidney disease (DKD). It is challenging to describe how these chemical pathways interact with each other in mesangial cells over time. I have used mathematical modeling of differential equations to represent the chemical pathways in mesangial cells that are known to be affected by DKD. I have combined the separate pathways into a comprehensive systems biology model that can consider the interactions between pathways and between multiple mesangial cells in the kidney filtration barrier. I will present model results for conditions that lead to expansion of the mesangial tissue (cells and extracellular proteins) during diabetic hyperglycemia.