Distribution of serum adiponectin isoforms in pediatric patients with steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome

• Published in: Clinical and experimental nephrology 2021-09, Vol.25 (9), p.1027-1034
• Main Authors: Tamai, Tetsuro, Kamijo, Kaori, Abe, Yoshifusa, Hibino, Satoshi, Sakurai, Shunsuke, Watanabe, Shuichiro, Watanabe, Yoshitaka, Nimura, Satomi, Shiratori, Atsutoshi, Takayanagi, Takaaki, Watanabe, Tsuneki, Nakano, Yuya, Ikeda, Hirokazu, Dobashi, Kazushige, Nakano, Yasuko, Mizuno, Katsumi, Itabashi, Kazuo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adiponectin; Adiponectin - blood; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - therapeutic use; Case-Control Studies; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Humans; Infant; Isoforms; Kidney diseases; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Molecular Weight; Nephrology; Nephrotic syndrome; Nephrotic Syndrome - blood; Nephrotic Syndrome - drug therapy; Original; Original Article; Patients; Pediatrics; Prednisolone - therapeutic use; Protein Isoforms - blood; Proteinuria; Remission; Remission (Medicine); Remission Induction; Urology
• ISSN: 1342-1751; 1437-7799
• DOI: 10.1007/s10157-021-02085-w

Background Serum adiponectin circulates in three multimeric isoforms: high-molecular-weight (HMW), middle-molecular-weight (MMW), and low-molecular-weight (LMW) isoforms. Potential change in the circulating adiponectin levels in patients with nephrotic syndrome (NS) remain unknown. This study aimed to assess the levels of total adiponectin and the distribution of its isoforms in pediatric patients with NS. Methods We sequentially measured total adiponectin and each adiponectin isoform levels at the onset of NS, initial remission, and during the remission period of the disease in 31 NS patients. We also calculated the ratios of HMW (%HMW), MMW (%MMW), and LMW (%LMW) to total adiponectin incuding 51 control subjects. Results The median of total serum adiponectin levels in patients were 36.7, 36.7, and 20.2 μg/mL at the onset, at initial remission, and during the remission period of NS, respectively. These values were significantly higher than those in control subjects. The median values of %HMW, %MMW, and %LMW values were 56.9/27.0/14.1 at the onset, 62.0/21.8/13.4 at the initial remission, and 58.1/21.7/17.5 at during the remission period of NS, respectively. Compared with control subjects, %HMW at initial remission and %MMW at the onset were high, and the %LMW values at the onset and at initial remission were low. Conclusions In patients with NS, total serum adiponectin levels increase at the onset of the disease, and the ratio of adiponectin isoforms changes during the course of the disease. Further studies are needed to delineate the mechanisms between proteinuria and adiponectin isoforms change.