Objective To investigate the role of stem cell factor (SCF) and mast cells (MC) in the pathogenesis and progression of dermal lesions caused by chronic renal failure.Methods Thirty-six Wistar rats were randomly divided into model group (adenine lavage at a dose of 150 mg·kg-1·d-1) and control group (physiological saline lavage at equal volume).Six rats from each group were sacrificed respectively at week 4,8 and 12.The intensity of MC infiltration was examined by toluidine blue staining. The expression of SCF was detected by immunohistochemistry and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. Results Compared with control group,the intensity of MC and the expression of SCF were significantly higher in dermal tissue of model group (P＜0.O1,respectively),and they were increased with time.In the model group,the number of MC infiltration was positively correlated with both the protein expression of SCF (r=0.81,P＜O.01) and the level of SCF mRNA (r=0.65,P＜0.01). Conclusion The increased SCF and MC may participate in the pathogenesis and progression of dermal lesions caused by chronic renal failure.