TWEAK signals via the Fn14 receptor which is observed in podocytes, mesangial cells and tubular cells. This study examined whether TWEAK/Fn14 system may associate with the severity of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and its pathologic features. Methods: 116 IgAN Japanese patients were included in this study. Renal biopsies were performed
at the Juntendo University Hospital from 2005 to 2011. Pathologic parameters of IgAN were evaluated according to the definition of the Oxford classification and clinical guidelines for IgAN of third version in Japan. Serum and urinary TWEAK levels were measured by ELISA from samples at the time of renal biopsy. To evaluate the localization of TWEAK and Fn14 in IgAN, renal tissues were analyzed with immunohistochemical staining. Results: Serum TWEAK (sTWEAK) levels
were not associated with clinical Selleck GW572016 and pathologic parameters in IgAN patients. Urinary TWEAK (uTWEAK) levels in IgAN patients were significantly higher than those in healthy controls (P < 0.01). uTWEAK levels were positively correlated with proteinuria in IgAN patients (r = 0.54; P < 0.0001), minimal change disease (MCD) patients and other disease controls, but uTWEAK levels were not correlated with other clinical parameters. Stem Cell Compound Library concentration In pathologic paremeters, a significant correlation was observed between uTWEAK levels and extracapillary lesions (r = 0.32; P < 0.001). The expression of TWEAK and Fn14 was increased in
the extracapillary lesions in IgAN. Conclusion: High uTWEAK levels are associated with proteinuria and glomerular injury, suggesting that uTWEAK reflect the severity of patients with IgAN. SONODA YUJI, GOHDA TOMOHITO, OMOTE KEISUKE, TOMINO YASUHIKO Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine Introduction: Recent studies demonstrated that serum TNF receptors 1 and 2 (TNFRs; TNFR1 and TNFR2) levels were associated with the risk of renal IKBKE function decline in diabetes. However, the role of TNFRs in IgA nephropathy (IgAN) patients has still not been fully investigated. The current study aimed to examine whether TNFRs levels in sera and urine were associated with other markers of kidney injury and histological findings in IgAN patients. The effect of tonsillectomy with steroid pulse therapy on concentrations of TNFRs was also assessed. Methods: The concentrations of interests were measured by immunoassay in 106 biopsy-proven IgAN patients using samples at the immediately before kidney biopsy and 34 healthy subjects. Those were also measured after treatment in the selected 30 patients. Results: Circulating levels of serum TNFRs in patients with IgAN were higher than those in the healthy controls. However, urinary excretion of those did not differ between two groups.