title: Serum levels of alpha-smooth muscle actin and c-Met as biomarkers of the degree of severity of Henoch-Schonlein purpura nephritis.
abstract: Approximately 40% of patients with Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) develop Henoch-Schonlein purpura nephritis (HSPN) after 4 to 6 weeks of subcutaneous hemorrhaging. Immunoglobulin-A nephropathy (IgAN) and HSPN have numerous similarities, which can cause difficulty in correctly diagnosing the disorder during a differential diagnosis. The pathogenesis of the 2 diseases is not clear. We enrolled 137 patients with HSPN, 107 patients with IgAN, and 28 healthy (control) patients in our study. The levels of alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), c-Met, and Gal-deficient IgA1 (Gd-IgA1) in the 3 patient groups were determined and compared. The α-SMA, c-Met, and Gd-IgA1 levels and the clinical data from the patients with HSPN were analyzed for any correlations. The α-SMA and c-Met levels of the HSPN group were significantly higher than those of the IgAN and healthy control groups (P < 0.01). The Gd-IgA1 levels of the HSPN and IgAN groups were significantly different from the Gd-IgA1 level of the healthy control group (P < 0.01). The α-SMA levels of the HSPN group were positively correlated with blood urea nitrogen levels, serum creatinine levels, hematuria index, and proteinuria levels (P < 0.01). The c-Met levels of the HSPN group were positively correlated with the blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine levels (P < 0.01). There were no significant differences among the α-SMA, c-Met, and Gd-IgA1 levels or the clinical data for the child and adult patients with HSPN. The serum levels of α-SMA and c-Met in patients with HSPN may be associated with the degree of disease severity. Gd-IgA1 is involved in the common immunologic pathogenesis of HSPN and IgAN.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Harbin Medical University, Heilongjiang Province, The People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Changsong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Chuanhui
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Hongxue
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Shiping
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Na
authors.forename: Fulai
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Duo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiaoming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jin
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000097:blood* / Q000737:chemistry; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011695:IgA Vasculitis / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000737:chemistry; D009393:Nephritis / Q000150:complications*; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met / Q000097:blood*; D012015:Reference Standards; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D015415:Biomarkers; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met