Rapid differentiation between glomerular and tubular proteinurias by high-performance liquid chromatography

This study regards the urinary protein of patients with renal diseases. Analysis was done by high-performance ion-exchange chromatography (HPIEC). In patients with steroid responsive nephrotic syndrome, the urinary proteins could be separated into about 10 peaks by HPIEC, whereas in the tubular dysfunction about 15 peaks were obtained. Main peaks obtained by HPIEC were identified by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and immunochemical methods. HPIEC is an easy, reliable and rapid method for the estimation of glomerular and tubular proteinurias patterns, and it seems to be a good indicator of the selectivity of glomerular proteinuria. So, we recommend HPIEC for routine use in the clinical investigation of proteinuria.