Is BMP-7 a promising diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for pediatric obstructive uropathy?

Mehdi Shirazi1,2, Seyed Hossein Hosseini3, Maryam Salehi1

  • 1Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.

BMC Urology
|May 21, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP-7) showed limited diagnostic and prognostic value in pediatric obstructive uropathy. Further research is needed to explore its role in predicting kidney recovery and fibrosis.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nephrology
  • Biomarker Discovery
  • Renal Injury

Background:

  • Obstructive uropathy is a key cause of pediatric chronic kidney disease.
  • Biomarkers to predict disease progression or recovery are needed.
  • Bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP-7) has shown renoprotective effects in models.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess serum and urinary BMP-7 levels in pediatric obstructive uropathy.
  • To evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic significance of BMP-7.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective observational study of 200 pediatric patients with obstructive uropathy and 200 controls.
  • Measured serum and urinary BMP-7 pre- and post-surgery using ELISA.
  • Statistical analyses compared groups and pre/postoperative measurements.

Main Results:

  • No statistically significant differences in serum or urinary BMP-7 between patients and controls.
  • No significant changes in BMP-7 levels post-surgery.
  • No significant variations observed among different obstruction subtypes.

Conclusions:

  • BMP-7 has limited clinical utility for diagnosing or predicting outcomes in pediatric obstructive uropathy.
  • Future studies should investigate additional biomarkers and longer follow-up periods.
  • BMP-7's potential in predicting renal recovery and fibrosis modulation requires further research.
Abstract

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