Objective To establish a rat model of progressive mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis with vasculopathy by high fat diet feeding. MethodsMale Wistar rats were subjected to unilateral nephrectomy and the surviving rats were randomly assigned into 4 groups:high fat diet group, nephritis group, nephritis fed with high fat diet group, and unilateral nephritis rats severed as controls. OX7(100 mg/kg)antibody was firstly injected into the tail vein of rats of the nephritis group and nephritis fed high fat diet group at 3 days after nephrectomy, and then injected once per week for 3 times. The rats of nephritis group and high fat diet group received saline injection. Vitamin D3 was injected intraperitoneally in a dose of 600 000 U/kg to the rats at the second day after OX7 antibody injection, once per week for 4 weeks and fed with hgh fat diet. The general status was recorded and the body weight, systolic blood pressure, proteinuria, serum total protein, serum albumin, triglyceride, cholesterol,serum creatinine and serum calcium were measured. The renal function was assessed and renal alterations were observed by histopathology. ResultsIntrarenal arterial wall thickening, arterial stenosis and proliferation of fibrous tissue were observed in the rats of nephritis and high fat diet group at week 8. At week 10, the intrarenal arterial wall was slightly thickened in the rats of nephritis and high fat diet group. The scores of glomerular, tubulointerstitial and vascular histological damages in the rats of nephritis with high fat diet group were significantly higher than those in the rats of nephritis group and high fat diet group (P<0.05). ConclusionsAnimal model of progressive mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis with vasculopathy can be successfully established by high fat diet plus intraperitoneal injection of vitamine D3 in chronic anti-Thy1 nephritis rats.