Transforming growth factor beta (TGF ß) activity in urine of patients with glomerulonephritis

Several lines of experimental evidence have shown that transforming growth factor ß (TGF ß) may play a major role in glomerular diseases, mediating the inflammatory response through glomerulosis. In the present study we evaluated TGF ß activity in occasional urine samples from 7 normal individuals and from 15 patients (10 with focal glomerular sclerosis and 5 with membranous glomerulonephritis) using a CCL-64 mink lung cell growth inhibition assay. Urinary TGF ß activity (reported in relation to urine creatinine concentration, Ucr, mean +/- SD) was higher in patients with focal glomerular sclerosis (x/- 17.32 +/- 15.75 / 10 µg Ucr) and patients with membranous glomerulonephritis (x/- = 17.78 +/- 11.53 / 10 µg Ucr) than in normal individuals (x/- = 0.8 +/- 0.44 / 10 µg Ucr). We also observed that TGF ß activity in urine from patients with focal glomerular...

Reduction of urine volume ameliorates adriamycin-induced nephropathy

1. Adriamycin, a commonly used antineoplastic antibiotic, induces glomerular lesions in rats, resulting in persistent proteinuria and glomerulosclerosis. 2. The effect of urine volume on the progression of adriamycin-induced nephropathy was studied in 70 male Wistar rats (180-200 g) observed for 30 weeks and separated into 4 groups: healthy control group (HCG, N = 10) inoculated i.v. with 1 ml of saline, and nephrotic groups inoculated iv with a single dose of adriamycin of 3 mg/kg body weight. The nephrotic rats were separated into 3 groups (N = 20): nephrotic control group (NCG) receiving only adriamycin; dehydrated nephrotic group (DNG) water deprived for 36 h within each 48-h period, and furosemide nephrotic group (FNG) treated with 12 mg/dl furosemide, and 0.9 g/dl NaCl in the drinking water. 3. The 30-week survival rates of the DNG (100 per cent ) and HCG (100 per cent ) were significantly higher than those of the NCG (85 per cent ) and FNG (55 per cent ). 4. The proteinuria observed in the HCG (range, 7.38 +/- 0.7 to 13.6 +/- 1.27 mg/24 h) was significantly lower than that observed for all the nephrotic groups throughout the experiment. The DNG presented significantly less proteinuria (range, 42.71 +/- 6.83 to 140.10 +/- 19.22 mg/24 h) than the NCG (range, 35.32 +/- 7.64 to 250.00 +/- 25.91 mg/24 h) from week 10 on. There was no significant difference between the mean 24-h proteinuria of the NCG (range, 35.32 +/- 7.64 to 250.00 +/- 25.91 mg/24 h) and the FNG (range, 35.82 +/- 7.91 to 221.54 +/- 26.74). 5. The mean frequency of damaged glomeruli was 0.3 per cent +/- 0.3 for HCG, 42 per cent +/- 6 per cent for CNG, 40.8 per cent +/- 8 per cent for DNG, and 47 per cent +/- 14 per cent for FNG. The median value of the tubulointerstitial lesion, evaluated by a semiquantitative method, was 0 in HCG, 10 in CNG, 8.5 in DNG and 9.5 in FNG (P < 0.05 for all groups compared to HCG). 6. The data indicate that reduction of urine volume has a protective effect on adriamycin-induced nephropathy