URINARY ENDOTHELIN-1 IN PATIENTS WITH RENAL-DISEASE

The purpose of this study was to investigate the usefulness of urinary endothelin-l (ET-1) as a marker of renal disease. We measured urinary excretion of ET-1 in 28 patients with glomerulonephritis (GN), 22 pat ients with chronic renal failure (CRF), 40 patients with end-stage ren al disease (ESRD), and 17 healthy volunteers. There was no significant difference in 24 hour urinary ET-I excretion among the four groups (m ean +/- SEM, 0.49 +/- 0.22 ng in controls, 0.79 +/- 0.37 ng in GN pati ents, 0.39 +/- 0.18 ng in CRF patients, and 0.28 +/- 0.11 ng in ESRD p atients). The 24-hour urinary excretion of ET-1 in patients with GN or CRF showed significant correlation with the urinary excretion of sodi um (r = 0.27, p < 0.05). The 24-hour urinary beta(2)-microglobulin (be ta(2)M) excretion in patients with CRF (18.4 +/- 2.6 mg) or ESRD (9.7 +/- 1.1 mg) was significantly higher than in normal control subjects ( 0.23 +/- 0.11 mg). Serum creatinine concentration was positively corre lated with the 24-hour urinary excretion of beta(2)M in patients with GN or CRF(r = 0.50, P < 0.001). These findings indicate that urinary E T-1 is not as good a marker of renal disease as urinary beta(2)M. Howe ver, it may be responsible for urinary sodium excretion in patients wi th GN Or CRF.