Correlation study of podocyte injur y and kidney function in patients with acute kidney injur y

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the correlation between the podocyte injury indexes in urine such as nephrin, desmin, P-cadherin, podocin, podocalyxin and CD2-associated protein (CD2AP) and the kidney function in patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). Methods: A total of 120 severe postsurgical patients treated in the Intensive Care Unit of our hospital from May 2012 to October 2015 were selected and divided into AKI group (n = 38) and non-AKI group (n = 82) according to the diagnostic criteria of AKI. After admission to the Intensive Care Unit for 24 h, their blood samples were collected to detect the contents of serum creatinine (Scr), serum urea (SUrea), b2-microglobulin (b2-MG) and cystatin C (Cys-C), and urine samples were collected to detect the contents of kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), liver-type fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP), Netrin-1, nephrin, desmin, P-cadherin, podocin, podocalyxin and CD2AP. Results: For patients in AKI group, the contents of Scr, SUrea, b2-MG and Cys-C in their blood samples and the contents of KIM-1, L-FABP, Netrin-1, nephrin, desmin, Pcadherin, podocin, podocalyxin and CD2AP in their urine samples were both significantly higher than those in non-AKI group. The contents of nephrin, desmin, P-cadherin, podocin, podocalyxin and CD2AP in urine samples and contents of Scr, SUrea, b2-MG, Cys-C and neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin in blood samples were positively correlated with the contents of KIM-1, L-FABP, and Netrin-1 in urine. Conclusions: Contents of podocyte injury molecules in urine of patients with acute kidney injury such as nephrin, desmin, P-cadherin, podocin, podocalyxin and CD2AP raised remarkably and the changes were consistent with the changes of kidney function indexes in the blood and urine samples.

Keywords

• Acute kidney injury
• Glomerular filtration
• Proximal convoluted tubule
• Filtration barrier
• Podocyte injury