INTERLEUKIN-8 IN PATIENTS WITH GLOMERULONEPHRITIS

Interleukin-8 in glomerulonephritis patients: a total of 57 patients p articipated in this study, including 26 patients with IgA nephropathy (IgA-N), 7 patients with minimal changes nephrotic syndrome (MCNS), 12 patients with mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (mes PGN), 1 1 patients with membraneous glomerulonephritis (MN) and 2 patients wit h focal glomerulosclerosis (FGS). Twenty six normal healthy volunteers (NHV) served as control. Interleukin-8 (IL-8) was tested in both seru m and urine using a specific immune-assay. IL-8 serum levels were sign ificantly increased in patients with glomerulonephritis compared to th eir levels in normal individuals (P<0.0001 IgA-N, P<0.01 MCNS, P<0.001 mes PGN and MN P<0.001 respectively). The most pronounced increment i n IL-8 serum levels was observed in mes PGN patients (P<0.0001). We co uld not observe any significant correlation between serum IL-8 levels and serum creatinine in these patients. Some amount of IL-8 can be det ected in urine of NHV (50+/-54.5 pg/ml). A significant increase in uri ne IL-8 was observed only in IgA-N and MN (P<0.005 and P<0.05 respecti vely), We studied whether urine IL-8 can correlate with the clinical p icture and outcome of these glomerulonephritis, but we could not obser ve any correlation between urine IL-8 and urinary sediment (urine RBC, WBC, cellular cast and proteins). Although not specific of inflammato ry processes occurring during glomerulonephritis, IL-8 should be consi dered as another perturbed inflammatory cytokine during glomerulonephr itis.