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Abstract
Background/Aim: The etiology of minimal-change nephritic syndrome (MCNS) is obscure.
It has been speculated that T cells play a role in the pathogenesis of MCNS. Interleukin
(IL)-18, a novel immunoregulatory cytokine with potent inferon-γ-inducing activities,
may play an important role in T-helper type 1-mediated immune responses. To examine
further the possible role of IL-18 in nephrotic syndrome (NS), in the present study
we measured IL-18 levels in the urine in different clinical stages of MCNS. The aim
of this study was to investigate the involvement of IL-18 in MCNS. Methods: Urine
samples were obtained from 20 MCNS patients. The disease controls included 20 patients
with IgA nephropathy. The samples were assayed for IL-18 protein by a sandwich enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay. Results: Compared with normal controls, significantly increased
urinary levels of IL-18 were detected in MCNS patients with the NS. The urinary IL-18
(uIL-18) levels correlated with the degree of proteinuria in MCNS patients. Moreover,
when individual MCNS patients were followed through their clinical illness, uIL-18
levels were increased during the active phase and decreased as the patients went into
remission. Conclusions: These results indicate that uIL- 18 is detectable in a subgroup
of patients with active NS and correlates to their disease activity in patients with
MCNS. Our findings support the notion that IL-18 may play a role in the pathophysiology
of NS.