CXCR3 renal expression in glomerulonephritis in children: is there a connection with the course of the disease?

Abstract

Background: Glomerulonephritis (GN) is a common childhood disease that may represent a significant cause of chronic kidney disease at one point of its course. The role of chemokines in glomerulonephritis, has been long anticipated and studied and the possible link between certain chemokines and different renal pathologies, if proved, can pave the road for future use of such markers for early prognosis and possible therapies for this common disease.

Objective: in this study, we aimed at detecting CXCR3 in the renal biopsies done for children with glomerulonephritis and to correlate it to the nature of renal pathology and response to therapy.

Methods: The glomerular and interstitial expression of CXCR3 in renal biopsies done for 22 patients with glomerulonephritis was studied using immunohistochemical staining. Pathologies already diagnosed in these biopsies were proliferative GN (mesangioproliferative GN, diffuse proliferative GN, focal proliferative GN, IgA nephropathy and crescentic GN) as well as non-proliferative GN (Minimal change disease, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, membranous nephropathy, diffuse mesangial sclerosis and advanced hypertensive nephrosclerosis). History, clinical findings and laboratory investigations in the initial presentation and at the time of the study were obtained.

Results: The degree of glomerular and interstitial CXCR3 expression did not vary with gender, age of presentation, response to steroids, or cumulative doses of steroids. Percentage of strong glomerular CXCR3 expression was much higher in proliferative GN compared to non-proliferative GN although the difference was not statistically significant, percentage of renal dysfunction was more among strong glomerular and mild/moderate interstitial CXCR3 expression with no statistically significant difference from the counterparts.

Conclusion: Our study revealed that enhanced CXCR3 renal expression on glomerular and interstitial levels did not affect the response to steroids along the course of the disease and so can probably act as a therapeutic target rather than a prognostic marker.

Keywords: glom. CXCR3, int. CXCR3, glomerulonephritis, renal biopsy