URINARY TRANSFORMING GROWTH-FACTOR-BETA IN PATIENTS WITH GLOMERULAR-DISEASES

We measured the urinary levels of active transforming growth factor-be ta (TGF-beta) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 12 healthy contr ols and 42 patients with various glomerular diseases, including mesang ial proliferative (IgA nephritis, Henoch-Schonlein purpura nephritis, and IgA-negative mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis) and non-p roliferative (minimal change nephrotic syndrome and focal glomeruloscl erosis) types. Urinary TGF-beta, expressed as a ratio to urinary creat inine (ng/mg creatinine), was elevated in patients with IgA nephritis and focal glomerulosclerosis, and was significantly higher than in pat ients with other types of glomerular diseases and healthy controls. Th ere was a significant correlation between urinary TGF-beta levels and the grade of interstitial fibrosis. Among patients with proliferative- type disease, urinary TGF-beta was significantly correlated with the g rade of mesangial matrix increase and the magnitude of proteinuria. Th e relationship between urinary TGF-beta levels and the immunostaining intensity of TGF-beta in the glomeruli was not significant. These resu lts indicated that urinary TGF-beta reflects the grade of interstitial fibrosis in glomerular diseases and also the mesangial matrix increas e in proliferative-type glomerulonephritis. Measuring TGF-beta levels in the urine might be helpful in monitoring patients with some types o f glomerular disease.