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Circulating suPAR levels are affected by glomerular filtration rate and proteinuria in primary and secondary glomerulonephritis

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Abstract

Background

Circulating levels of soluble urokinase-like plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) have been associated with proteinuria and renal function in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). This study aimed to evaluate if circulating suPAR levels are independently associated with proteinuria in patients with non-FSGS glomerulonephritis.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional analysis of suPAR levels on 42 patients with primary non-FSGS glomerulonephritis (group GN) and 140 patients with secondary glomerulonephritis within an autoimmune disease (group AID).

Results

suPAR serum levels were significantly higher in AID patients (4,733 ± 3,073 pg/ml) than in healthy controls (1,908 ± 1,685 pg/ml; p < 0.001), whereas GN patients displayed intermediate levels (3,670 ± 2,435 pg/ml; p = 0.021). Multivariate analysis for elevated serum suPAR (>3,000 pg/ml) showed an independent association with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 ml/min/1.73 m2 [odds ratio (OR) = 4.19, 95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.67–10.54, p = 0.002], proteinuria >0.5 g/day (OR = 2.97; 95 % CI: 1.32–6.70; p = 0.009) and presence of secondary vs. primary GN (OR = 2.87, 95 % CI: 1.25–6.23; p = 0.013). A general linear model confirmed that suPAR levels were significantly affected by proteinuria >0.50 g/day (coefficient +1,477 pg/ml), eGFR (−38 pg/ml per 1 ml/min/1.73 m2 increase) and presence of secondary vs. primary GN (+1,368 pg/ml).

Conclusions

This study shows that elevated serum suPAR levels are associated with reduced eGFR and presence of proteinuria in both primary and secondary GN, suggesting that circulating suPAR may represent a common biomarker of renal involvement in a wide spectrum of GN.

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Acknowledgments

CM is a PhD student, whose fellowship is funded by the non-profit foundation “Fondazione De Agostini”, to which we are sincerely thankful.

Conflict of interest

This paper has been seen and approved by all authors and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere in a similar form, in any language, except in abstract form. No financial support was given to perform this study. None of the authors has a conflict of interest to disclose. None of the authors has a relationship with companies that might have a financial interest in the herein reported results.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Translational Medicine and Interdisciplinary Research Center Autoimmune Disease (IRCAD), Nephrology and Renal Transplant Unit “Maggiore Della Carità”Hospital, University of Eastern Piedmont, Corso Mazzini 18, 28100, Novara, Italy

    Claudio Musetti, Marco Quaglia, Sara Monti & Piero Stratta

  2. Unit of Medical Statistics and Cancer Epidemiology, University of Eastern Piedmont and CPO Piemonte, Novara, Italy

    Tiziana Cena & Corrado Magnani

  3. Department of Medical Sciences and IRCAD, University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy

    Annalisa Chiocchetti, Nausicaa Clemente & Umberto Dianzani

Authors
  1. Claudio Musetti
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  2. Marco Quaglia
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  3. Tiziana Cena
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  4. Annalisa Chiocchetti
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  5. Sara Monti
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  6. Nausicaa Clemente
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  7. Corrado Magnani
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  8. Umberto Dianzani
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  9. Piero Stratta
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Claudio Musetti.

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Musetti, C., Quaglia, M., Cena, T. et al. Circulating suPAR levels are affected by glomerular filtration rate and proteinuria in primary and secondary glomerulonephritis. J Nephrol 28, 299–305 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40620-014-0137-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40620-014-0137-1

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