Adiponectin is increased and correlated with the degree of proteinuria, but plasma leptin is not changed in patients with chronic glomerulonephritis.
OBJECTIVE
Altered regulation of adiponectin and leptin may be relevant to endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular complications in patients with chronic glomerulonephritis.


METHODS
The relationship between the levels of plasma adiponectin, leptin and proteinuria, glomerular filtration rate and metabolic risk factors was investigated in 38 patients with chronic glomerulonephritis.


RESULTS
Plasma adiponectin was much higher in patients with heavy proteinuria (38.8 +/- 27.8 microg/mL) than in patients with mild proteinuria (13.3 +/- 5.1 microg/mL, P < 0.001) and with moderate proteinuria (18.1 +/- 8.0 microg/mL, P < 0.01). The levels of serum leptin were not changed among these groups. Proteinuria and lipoprotein(a) were a strong and direct correlate of plasma adiponectin (r = 0.75, P < 0.0001), while serum albumin and the glomerular filtration rate correlated inversely with this protein (r = -0.56, P = 0.0002; r = 0.38, P = 0.02). Body mass index and triglyceride were direct correlates (r = 0.37, P = 0.02 and r = 0.37, P = 0.02, respectively) of plasma leptin in patients with glomerulonephritis.


CONCLUSIONS
Plasma adiponectin but not plasma leptin levels correlate with proteinuria in patients with chronic glomerulonephritis.
Hayakawa
Kazuyoshi
K
Department of Internal Medicine, Gihoku Kousei Hospital, Gifu University School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan.
Ohashi
Hiroshige
H
Yokoyama
Haruko
H
Yoshida
Gakuro
G
Okada
Miho
M
Minatoguchi
Shinya
S
D052242:Adiponectin / Q000097:blood*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005921:Glomerulonephritis / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood* / Q000652:urine; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011507:Proteinuria / Q000097:blood*
D052242:Adiponectin; D020738:Leptin