ABSTRACT
Objective To explore the relationship between intermedin (IMD) and renal interstitial capillary loss in IgA nephropathy (IgAN) patients.Methods Renal biopsy specimens collected from primary IgAN patients in our hospital (n=80) were compared with normal renal tissues.Expressions of IMD,CD31 and VE-cadherin were examined by immunohistochemical method,and plasma concentrations of IMD and TGF-β1 in 37 cases from the 80 cases were compared.The relationship between IMD and renal interstitial capillary loss in IgAN patients was analyzed.Results IMD and VE-cadherin in renal tubule interstitium expressions increased compared to the control group at the early stage of IgAN (P ＜ 0.05).CD31 expression remained unchanged at the early stage of pathological lesions of IgAN (P ＞ 0.05),but decreased at the early stage of clinical stage of IgAN compared to the control (P ＜ 0.05).Expressions of IMD,CD31 and VE-cadherin were reducing as the disease progressed,and the correlations of CD31 and VE-cadherin (r=0.517,P ＜ 0.01),IMD and CD31(r=0.655,P ＜ 0.01) or IMD and VE-cadherin (r=0.576,P ＜ 0.01) were positive.Plasma concentrations of IMD and TGF-β1 were higher than those of the control group at the early stage of IgAN (P ＜ 0.05),and the changes of IMD and TGF-β1were correlated positively (r=0.582,P ＜ 0.01).Conclusion Compared with the control group,expression of IMD in kidney tubules increases at the early stage of IgAN,and change of IMD correlates closely with the renal interstitial capillary loss.Plasma concentrations of IMD and TGF-β1 increase compared with the control group at the early stage of IgAN,and the changes of IMD and TGF-β1 are related closely.