Urinary excretion of cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate in children of different ages

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Endocrinology
• Biochemistry
• Urology

Background:

• Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is a crucial second messenger involved in numerous physiological processes.
• Understanding the developmental changes in cAMP excretion is important for assessing pediatric kidney function and metabolic health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the age-related patterns of urinary cyclic AMP (cAMP) excretion in healthy children.
• To correlate cAMP excretion with various physiological parameters like age, body weight, surface area, and urinary creatinine.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative analysis of urinary cyclic AMP (cAMP) excretion in 97 healthy children aged 3 months to 16 years.
• Measurements were normalized to 24-hour urine volume, body surface area, and urinary creatinine.
• Statistical analysis including correlation coefficients (r) and p-values was employed.

Main Results:

• Urinary cAMP excretion significantly increased with both age (r=0.693) and body weight (r=0.700).
• Excretion per surface area decreased with age, with a notable decline after 9.5 years, associated with approaching puberty.
• The cAMP to creatinine ratio showed a strong inverse correlation with age (r=-0.772), reaching adult levels by adolescence.

Conclusions:

• Urinary cAMP excretion exhibits significant developmental changes in children, influenced by growth and pubertal maturation.
• The decline in cAMP excretion relative to creatinine suggests maturational changes in renal handling or cAMP metabolism.
• Findings provide normative data for pediatric urinary cAMP excretion and highlight its potential as a biomarker for developmental changes.