title: Urinary excretion of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1: a biomarker of active tubulointerstitial damage in patients with glomerulopathies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The urinary concentration of the monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (uMCP-1) chemokine is increased in several proteinuric and/or inflammatory renal diseases. In the present study, we evaluated the association between uMCP-1 and renal function, proteinuria, glomerular and interstitial macrophage infiltration, and renal fibrosis in patients with primary and secondary glomerulopathies diagnosed by renal biopsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-seven patients aged 32.6 +/- 7.7 years were studied. uMCP-1 was determined by ELISA. Renal macrophage expression (CD68 positive cells) is reported as number of macrophages/10(4) microm2 of the cortical tubulointerstitial (TI) area or of glomerular capillary tuft area. Cortical interstitial fibrosis was quantitated by PicroSirius red staining under polarized light by a computerized manner.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The uMCP-1 ratio (pg/ml/urinary creatinine mg/ml) was positively correlated (Spearman coefficient) with proteinuria (r = 0.4629; p < 0.005) and number of macrophages in the cortical TI area (r = 0.64; p = 0.0005), and negatively correlated with creatinine clearance (r = -0.4877; p < 0.001). The uMCP-1 ratio was not significantly correlated with number of macrophages/glomerular capillary tuft area (r = 0.27; p = 0.19) or with percent cortical interstitial fibrosis (r = 0.08; p = 0.62).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The uMCP-1 excretion is a biomarker of the inflammatory activity of the TI area, and does not reflect chronic interstitial damage.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. mdantas@fmrp.usp.br
authors.forename: Márcio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dantas
authors.forename: Elen Almeida
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Romão
authors.forename: Roberto Silva
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Marlene Antônia
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: dos Reis
authors.forename: Osvaldo Merege
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Vieira Neto
authors.forename: Richard Augusto
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Roberto Cuan
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Ravinal
authors.forename: Antônio Luiz
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Rodrigues Júnior
authors.forename: Terezila Machado
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Coimbra
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000652:urine; D018932:Chemokine CCL2 / Q000652:urine*; D005260:Female; D005921:Glomerulonephritis / Q000473:pathology / Q000652:urine*; D006801:Humans; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000473:pathology; D007684:Kidney Tubules / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009395:Nephritis, Interstitial / Q000473:pathology / Q000652:urine*