Increased urinary levels of adrenomedullin in patients with cystitis

In this study, we examined urinary levels of adrenomedullin (AM) in 18 heal thy volunteers and 18 patients with cystitis. We also compared urinary leve ls of AM in 11 patients with cystitis before and after antibiotic treatment , Urinary AM concentrations were measured by a radioimmunoassay specific fo r human AM, Urinary AM levels in patients with cystitis were significantly elevated compared with those of healthy volunteers and correlated positivel y with the number of urine leukocytes. By antibiotic treatment, urinary AM levels significantly decreased as compared with before the treatment. By RN A blot analysis of AM transcript, we detected significant levels of AM mRNA in canine urinary bladder and ureter, Intravenous administration of lipopo lysaccharide elevated the AM mRNA level in the urinary bladder. These data suggest that infection and inflammation stimulate AM production In the urin ary tract, which results in increased urinary AM levels in patients with cy stitis. Based on these results, it is deduced that AM participates in the p athophysiology of cystitis, and its urinary level could be used as an index of the degree of cystitis. (C) 1999 by the National Kidney Foundation, Inc .