Transforming growth factor beta activity in urine of patients with type 2 diabetes and diabetic nephropathy

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is characterized structurally by progressive mesangial deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM). Transforming growth factor-ss (TGF-ss) is considered to be one of the major cytokines involved in the regulation of ECM synthesis and degradation. Several studies suggest that an increase in urinary TGF-ss levels may reflect an enhanced production of this polypeptide by the kidney cells. We evaluated TGF-ss in occasional urine samples from 14 normal individuals and 23 patients with type 2 diabetes (13 with persistent proteinuria >500 mg/24 h, DN, 6 with microalbuminuria, DMMA, and 4 with normal urinary albumin excretion, DMN) by enzyme immunoassay. An increase in the rate of urinary TGF-ss excretion (pg/mg U Creat.) was observed in patients with DN (296.07 +/- 330.77) (P<0.001) compared to normal individuals (17.04 +/- 18.56) (Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric analysis of variance); however, this increase was not observed in patients with DMMA (25.13 +/- 11.30) or in DMN (18.16 +/- 11.82). There was a positive correlation between the rate of urinary TGF-ss excretion and proteinuria (r = 0.70, alpha = 0.05) (Pearson's analysis), one of the parameters of disease progression.