title: Urinary neopterin: an immune activation marker in mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To clarify in vivo neopterin expression within the human kidney and its clinical role as a biomarker for immune complex-mediated mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (mesPGN) in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined neopterin expression within the kidneys of 14 patients with mesPGN and five patients with minimal changes. We also measured the serum and urinary neopterin levels in fourteen patients with mesPGN and sixteen age-matched healthy controls and correlated the histological findings and clinical features.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Neopterin expression was observed within the distal tubular epithelial cells. It was induced within the glomerular endothelial cells and infiltrated CD68-positive macrophages in the glomeruli and interstitial areas. Furthermore, urinary neopterin levels were significantly elevated and positively correlated with histopathological findings and the degree of proteinuria.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings indicate that increased urinary neopterin may reflect macrophage activation and active inflammation within the kidney in immune complex-mediated glomerulonephritis. Neopterin may thus represent a useful biomarker of immune complex-mediated glomerulonephritis in the clinical setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takaramachi, Kanazawa, 920-8641, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ueno
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Tadafumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
authors.forename: Sayaka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tasaki
authors.forename: Natsumi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Naotoshi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sugimoto
authors.forename: Kazuhide
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohta
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yachie
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D015214:Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic / Q000032:analysis; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000652:urine; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006136:GTP Cyclohydrolase / Q000032:analysis; D015432:Glomerulonephritis, Membranoproliferative / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology / Q000652:urine*; D006417:Hematuria / Q000652:urine; D006801:Humans; D011695:IgA Vasculitis / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000473:pathology; D007686:Kidney Tubules, Distal / Q000737:chemistry; D008264:Macrophages / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D019798:Neopterin / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine*; D011507:Proteinuria / Q000652:urine; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D000097382:CD68 Molecule
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D015214:Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic; D015415:Biomarkers; D006136:GTP Cyclohydrolase; D019798:Neopterin; C067980:CD68 antigen, human; D000097382:CD68 Molecule