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Urinary podocyte markers in kidney diseases.
Lingfeng Zeng1, Cheuk-Chun Szeto1
1Carol & Richard Yu Peritoneal Dialysis Research Centre, Department of Medicine & Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong, China; Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences (LiHS), Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China.
Clinica Chimica Acta; International Journal of Clinical Chemistry
|October 19, 2021
Summary
Urinary podocyte biomarkers show promise for diagnosing and monitoring kidney diseases. Further research is needed to standardize methods and validate their clinical utility.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Biomarker Discovery
- Molecular Diagnostics
Background:
- Podocytes are crucial for kidney function and are implicated in various kidney diseases.
- Podocyte injury releases cellular fragments and molecular targets into urine, serving as potential kidney disease biomarkers.
- Urinary podocyte markers offer a non-invasive approach to assess kidney health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the potential of urinary podocyte markers for diagnosing and monitoring kidney diseases.
- To review current methods for quantifying urinary podocytes and their components.
- To identify areas for future research in this diagnostic field.
Main Methods:
- Quantification of intact podocytes (viable or dead) and microvesicles using centrifugation, visualization, and culture.
- Measurement of podocyte-specific proteins and messenger RNA (mRNA) via western blotting, ELISA, and quantitative PCR.
- Analysis of nuclear, cytoplasmic, slit-diaphragm, basement membrane, and cytoskeletal targets.
Main Results:
- Various methods exist for quantifying urinary podocytes and their molecular components.
- Technological advancements may lead to wider availability and automation of these diagnostic techniques.
- Current data on urinary podocyte markers for kidney disease diagnosis are limited and lack external validation.
Conclusions:
- Urinary podocyte markers hold potential for kidney disease diagnosis and monitoring.
- Standardization, comparison, and automation of laboratory methods are essential for clinical application.
- Further validation is required to establish the added value of these markers in routine clinical practice.
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