Estrogen-stimulated neurophysin in chronic renal failure

Estrogen-stimulated neurophysin (ESN) was determined by radioimmunoassay in three groups of patients with chronic renal failure: predialysis patients, patients on hemodialysis and patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. ESN levels were significantly elevated in all patients. ESN of these patients is undistinguishable from highly purified pituitary ESN. Immunological and physicochemical analyses of ESN in patients with renal failure suggest that the elevated plasma level is due to a failure of renal clearance. In addition, heterogeneity of urinary ESN, revealed by multiple immunoreactive peaks after gel filtration, indicates altered renal metabolism.