Elevated serum fucose levels in idiopathic nephrotic syndrome.
We measured serum fucose concentrations in 34 children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS), 23 with chance proteinuria and/or hematuria (CPH), and 20 healthy children as controls. The serum fucose levels in the patients with INS were significantly elevated at onset (14.0 +/- 3.7 mg/dl, n = 4, p < 0.02), in relapses (19.1 +/- 3.7 mg/dl, n = 10, p < 0.001), and in remission (13.9 +/- 7.0 mg/dl, n = 30, p < 0.01) as compared with CPH patients (10.6 +/- 3.2 mg/dl, n = 23) and controls (9.1 +/- 3.1 mg/dl, n = 20). Those in remission were further divided into 2 groups and the mean fucose concentrations were significantly different in the two remission groups: 20.1 +/- 4.6 mg/dl in 14 patients whose blood samples were taken within one week of remission and 9.0 +/- 2.9 mg/dl in the other 16 patients whose samples were taken at 1 to 6 months of remission. The mean value in the latter remission group was significantly lower in comparison with the former group, but not different from the controls. Gel-chromatography of serum samples from patients with INS revealed a single peak of fucose in the high molecular fraction, and this was also found in the same fractions of serum inhibitor of lymphocyte blastogenesis in INS. We concluded that serum fucose concentrations are elevated in INS patients and that, because of the large molecular weight, the fucose is probably in a form bounded to some glycoproteins in the serum. Considering various reports on fucose, serum fucose may be associated with immunodepression in INS patients.
Asami
T
T
Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Niigata University, Japan.
Ohkubo
S
S
Toyabe
S
S
Suda
M
M
Sakai
K
K
D002648:Child; D005643:Fucose / Q000097:blood* / Q000737:chemistry; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009404:Nephrotic Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology
D006023:Glycoproteins; D005643:Fucose