[Urokinase as a blood and urine plasminogen activator in chronic glomerulonephritis and amyloidosis]

To estimate the individual role of the plasminogen activators (PA) urokinase (u-PA) and tissue (t-PA) in the development of two renal diseases (the nephrotic forms of chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) and amyloidosis, the baseline plasma and urine levels of u-PA and t-PA antigens, their functional activity (FPAA), and changes in these parameters were determined after protein loading test (0.7 g/kg). In healthy individuals and patients with amyloidosis, the baseline FPAA changes from 0 to the maximum were caused only by the alterations of u-PA levels, in those with CGN, they were induced by the changes in the content of u-PA and t-AP antigens. The functional loading test revealed PA reserves solely in patients having a high baseline FPAA for both nephropathies: u-PA in amyloidosis and t-PA in CGN. In all the patients, the urine levels of u-PA antigens were 20-40 times more than those of t-PA antigens and 5-6 times less than those plasma u-PA. The findings suggest that urokinase may be regarded as the major plasminogen activator involved in CGN and amyloidosis.