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Updated: Feb 21, 2026
Analyses of Proteinuria, Renal Infiltration of Leukocytes, and Renal Deposition of Proteins in Lupus-prone MRL/lpr Mice
Published on: June 8, 2022
Evaluation of neutrophil activation in autoimmune kidney diseases using blood heparin-binding protein: a pilot study
Zhen-Jun Zhao1, Xin-Yue Shi1,2, Hong-Shan Chen1
1Department of Nephrology, Kidney Disease Medical Center, General Hospital, National Key Clinical Specialty, Tianjin Key Medical Discipline, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
Background:
Currently, there is limited understanding about the activation of neutrophils in autoimmune kidney diseases. Heparin-binding protein (HBP) is a protein in neutrophil granules and has been widely used as a marker for infectious diseases. This study aims to explore the use of blood HBP to evaluate neutrophil activation in autoimmune kidney diseases.
Methods:
A total of 70 patients diagnosed with autoimmune kidney diseases were enrolled, including 20 with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies-associated vasculitis (AAV), 17 with membranous nephropathy (MN), 17 with IgA nephropathy (IgAN), and 16 with minimal change disease (MCD)/focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). The control group consisted of 18 patients with sepsis, 20 patients on maintenance hemodialysis, and 20 healthy volunteers. Clinical and laboratory indicators were collected, and the blood HBP were measured.
Results:
The blood HBP were significantly elevated in all kinds of autoimmune kidney disease, with the highest levels in AAV and the lowest in MCD/FSGS. Unlike blood NGAL, blood HBP was not affected by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Blood HBP was independently correlated with blood neutrophil counts, and its sensitivity was higher than that of blood NGAL, neutrophil counts, and C-reactive protein. In AAV, blood HBP was associated with hematuria, and its levels significantly decreased after remission. In MN and MCD/FSGS, elevated HBP was associated with higher levels of proteinuria. There was a positive correlation between blood HBP and urine HBP in patients with autoimmune kidney diseases.
Conclusion:
Blood HBP is a valuable and eGFR-independent marker of neutrophil activation. This study preliminarily reveals that neutrophil activation is widespread in various autoimmune kidney diseases and may be involved in the pathogenesis of these diseases.
