Author/Editor     Kotnik, Vladimir; Premzl, Aleš; Škoberne, Mojca; Malovrh, Tadej; Kveder, Radoslav; Kaplan-Pavlovčič, Staša; Kotnik, Antonija; Štiblar-Martinčič, Draga
Title     Demonstration of apoptosis-associated cleavage products of DNA, complement activation products SC5b-9 and C3d/dg, and immune complexes CIC-C3d, CIC-IgA, and CIC-IgG in the urine of patients with membranous glomerulonephritis
Type     članek
Source     Croat Med J
Vol. and No.     Letnik 44, št. 6
Publication year     2003
Volume     str. 707-11
Language     eng
Abstract     Aim. To investigate the involvement of complement activation and apoptosis in the pathogenesis of membranous glomerulonephritis by determining the concentrations of apoptosis-associated 180 bp nucleosomes and complement activation products SCSb-9 and C3d/dg in the urine of patients with membranous glomerulonephritis. Methods. Morning urine was taken from 15 patients with immunohistologically established membranous glomerulonephritis. Apoptosis-associated 180 bp nucleosomes, complement activation products SC5b-9, C3d/dg, and immune complexes CIC-C3d, CIC-IgA, and CIC-IgG were detected in the urine sampfes by using antigen-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results. Concentrations of measured parameters were expressed in units of standard deviation, ie, relatively to the average concentrations measured in healthy subjects. We found drastically increased concentrations ofapoptosis-associated 180 bp nucleosomes (13.71±14.97; p=0.047), complement activation products SCSb-9 (197.07±134.88; p=0.003) and C3d/dg (38.70±43.35; p=0.048), and immune complexes CIC-C3d (11.01 ± 13.39; p=0.74), CIC-IgA (7.93±4.38; p=0.001), and CIC-IgG (20.56± 10.87; p=0.001) in the urine of patients with an active form of membranous glomerulonephritis. All studied molecules were absent, or present in very low concentrations, in healthy subjects and patients with membranous glomerulonephritis in remission. The mean differences between healthy controls and patients with the active disease were statistically significant in all parameters, except CIC-C3d. Conclusions. There is an association of complement activation and apoptosis with membranous glomerulonephritis. (Abstract truncated at 2000 characters).
Descriptors     APOPTOSIS
GLOMERULONEPHRITIS, MEMBRANOUS
ANTIGEN-ANTIBODY COMPLEX
NUCLEOSOMES
COMPLEMENT ACTIVATION
IGA
IGM
COMPLEMENT 3D
COMPLEMENT 5
ENZYME-LINKED IMMUNOSORBENT ASSAY