J Korean Pediatr Soc.  2002 Feb;45(2):240-246.

Clinical Study of the Correlation of Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha and the Proteinuria of Henoch-Schonlein Nephritis and Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome

• Jeong DH
• Park JH
• Jeong HC
• Koo HH
• Lee JH
• Ha TS

Abstract

PURPOSE: It is not clear that the development of glomerular injury and aggravation by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is related to intrarenal or serum concentration of TNF-alpha. So, we studied the relationship between the concentration of TNF-alpha and aggravation of glomerular damage in the Henoch-Schonlein nephritis(HSN) and idiopathic nephrotic syndrome(INS).
METHODS
We collected the sera and urines of 21 patients with Henoch-Schonlein purpura(HSP) and 22 patients with INS visited Chungbuk National University hospital from March 1998 to March 2001. The concentration of TNF-alpha in the sera and urines were measured by sandwich ELISA.
RESULTS
Serum TNF-alpha levels in the HSP patients with renal involvement were significantly higher than those without renal involvement(P=0.009). But urine TNF-alpha levels have no correlation with renal involvement(P=0.088). In the HSN patients, proteinuria have a significant correlation with serum TNF-alpha levels(P=0.004) but less correlation with urine TNF-alpha levels(P=0.053). Otherwise, proteinuria have no correlation with serum TNF-alpha levels(P=0.763) but have a significant correlation with urine TNF-alpha levels(P=0.007) in INS.
CONCLUSION
These result suggest that the serum concentration of TNF-alpha would be important to glomerular involvement in HSP. And, it is interesting that proteinuria shows a significant relation with serum TNF-alpha levels in the HSN, but with urine TNF-alpha levels in the INS. This means the major production of TNF-alpha may be originated by extrarenal inflammation in the HSN and by intrarenal tubulo-interstitial damage due to proteinuria in the INS.

Keyword

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha; Proteinuria; Henoch-Schonlein nephritis; Idiopathic nephrotic syndrome

MeSH Terms

Chungcheongbuk-do
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Humans
Inflammation
Nephritis*
Nephrotic Syndrome*
Proteinuria*
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha