title: Urinary hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha levels are associated with histologic chronicity changes and renal function in patients with lupus nephritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Tubulointerstitial hypoxia in the kidney is considered a hallmark of injury and a mediator of the progression of tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha), a master transcription factor in cellular adaptation to hypoxia, regulates a wide variety of genes, some of which are closely associated with tissue fibrosis. The present study set out to characterize urinary HIF-1alpha expressions in patients with lupus nephritis (LN) and to explore whether urinary HIF-1alpha expressions are associated with histologic chronicity changes and renal function.
  
  
  METHODS
  Urinary HIF-1alpha levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in 42 patients with LN and in 30 healthy controls. Activity and chronicity indexes as well as tubular HIF-1alpha expressions were analyzed for each specimen.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Urinary HIF-1alpha levels were higher in LN patients than in healthy controls (3.977±1.696 vs. 2.153±0.554 ng/mL, p<0.001) and were associated with histologic chronicity indexes (r=0.463, p<0.01) and eGFR (r=-0.324, p<0.05). However, urinary HIF-1alpha levels showed no correlation with histologic activity indexes, anti-dsDNA, ANA, complement 3 and 4 levels, proteinuria, systemic lupus erythematosis disease activity index, and WHO pathological classification (p>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Urinary HIF-1alpha levels were elevated in LN patients and were associated with histologic chronicity changes and renal function, indicating that HIF-1alpha might contribute to histologic chronicity in LN.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical College, Hainan, China.
authors.forename: Chunyang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Jiali
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.forename: Ru
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Keying
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Xiaoping
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Zhuori
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit / Q000652:urine*; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008181:Lupus Nephritis / Q000652:urine*; D008297:Male; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit