Evaluation of the Diagnostic Potential of uPAR as a Biomarker in Renal Biopsies of Patients with FSGS

• Published in: Disease markers Vol. 2019; no. 2019; pp. 1 - 6
• Main Authors: Machado, Juliana Reis, dos Reis, Marlene Antônia, Castellano, Lúcio Roberto, Vinícius da Silva, Marcos, Pereira, Lívia Helena M., Monteiro, Maria Luiza Gonçalves dos Reis, Araújo, Liliane Silvano, Aparecida da Silva, Crislaine, Corrêa, Rosana Rosa Miranda
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cairo, Egypt Hindawi Publishing Corporation 01.01.2019; Hindawi; John Wiley & Sons, Inc; Hindawi Limited
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Analysis; Biomarkers; Biomarkers - metabolism; Biopsy; Cell adhesion & migration; Core curriculum; Diagnostic systems; Differential diagnosis; Female; Glomerulosclerosis, Focal Segmental - metabolism; Glomerulosclerosis, Focal Segmental - pathology; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Kidney - metabolism; Kidney - pathology; Kidney diseases; Male; Methenamine; Microscopy; Middle Aged; Morphology; Nephrology; Pathogenesis; Podocytes - metabolism; Polymers; Proteinuria; Receptors, Urokinase Plasminogen Activator - genetics; Receptors, Urokinase Plasminogen Activator - metabolism; Sclerosis; Sensitivity and Specificity; Statistical analysis; U-Plasminogen activator; Urokinase; Brazil; Taiwan; United Kingdom > UK
• ISSN: 0278-0240; 1875-8630
• DOI: 10.1155/2019/1070495

Minimal change disease (MCD) and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) are primary glomerulopathies leading to proteinuria, known as podocytopathies, which share syndromic and morphological similarities. Morphological similarity occurs in cases of FSGS in which the sclerotic lesion was not sampled in renal biopsy, due to the focal nature of the disease. Differentiating these entities is very important, especially in cases of suspected FSGS but with sclerotic lesion not sampled, as they are diseases that apparently have different pathogenic mechanisms and prognosis. The difference in uPAR expression in situ among these two entities may be related to a distinct molecular mechanism involved in pathogenesis. Thus, finding biomarkers involved in the pathogenesis and that can also help in differential diagnosis is very relevant. The aim of this work was to evaluate the potential of urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) as a biomarker in renal biopsies of patients with podocytopathies (n=38). Immunohistochemistry showed that FSGS (n=22) had increased uPAR expression in podocytes compared with both the MCD group (n=16; p=0.0368) and control group (n=21; p=0.0076). ROC curve (p=0.008) showed that this biomarker has 80.95% of specificity in biopsies of patients with FSGS. Therefore, uPAR presented a high specificity in cases of podocytopathies associated with sclerosis and it can be considered a potential biomarker for FSGS.