CORRELATION BETWEEN URINE PODOCALYXIN, NEPHRIN EXPRESSION AND CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL FEATURES IN PATIENTS WITH PRIMARY NEPHROTIC SYNDROME

Dengyuan Feng¹, Ke Wang¹, Donliang Zhang¹, Mingchao Zhang², Hao Chen^{1, *}

¹Department of Urology, Jiangsu Province Hospital, Nanjing, PR China - ²Jinlin Hospital, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, PR China

Objective: To investigate the correlation between urine podocalyxin, nephrin expression and clinicopathological features in patients with primary nephrotic syndrome (NS). 

Methods: From October 2018 to October 2019, 100 patients with NS were divided into (MsPGN) group (n=26), (MCN) group (n=29), (MN) group (n=25) and (FSGS) group (n=20). At the same time, 20 healthy people were selected as control group. Urine and fasting venous blood were collected. Urine podocalyxin, nephrin, urinary protein, serum albumin, blood lipid and creatine levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Elisa). The correlation between urine podocalyxin, nephrin expression and urinary protein content, serum albumin, blood lipid and creatine was investigated in patients with primary nephrotic syndrome. 

Results: The expression levels of PCX and nephrin in urine of patients with PNS were significantly higher than those of healthy people. The expression levels of PCX and nephrin in MsPGN group, MCN group, MN group and FSGS group were significantly higher than those in healthy people. The expression levels of PCX and nephrin in FSGS patients were the highest, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The 24 h urinary protein level in patients with PNS was significantly higher than that in healthy people, MsPGN group and MCN group. The levels of 24-hour urinary protein in MN group and FSGS group were significantly higher than those in healthy population, and the levels of cholesterol, TG and Cre in FSGS group were significantly higher than those in healthy population, and the levels of cholesterol, TG and Cre in MsPGN group, MCN group (P<0.05), MN group and FSGS group were significantly higher than those in healthy population, and the levels of cholesterol, TG and Cre in PNS group were significantly higher than those in healthy group (P<0.05). The level of BSA in patients with PNS was significantly lower than that in healthy people, and the level of BSA in MsPGN group, MCN group, MN group and FSGS group was significantly lower than that in healthy people (P<0.05). Pearsoon linear analysis showed that PCX was positively correlated with 24 h urinary protein, cholesterol, TG and Cre (r=0.468, 0.326, 0.511, 0.432, P<0.05). There was a negative correlation with BSA (r=0.386, P<0.05). Nephrin was positively correlated with 24 h urinary protein, cholesterol, TG and Cre (r=0.369, 0.472, 0.415, 0.434, P<0.05), and negatively correlated with BSA (r=0.512, P<0.05). 

Conclusion: The expression of PCX, nephrin in urine of patients with PNS is highly expressed, which is related to clinicopathological features.