Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Urinary podocin and nephrin to detect kidney damage in dogs
By Pantaleo, Valeria et al.·Published in Parasites & vectors·2024·San Marco Veterinary Clinic and Laboratory, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of urinary podocin and nephrin as markers of podocyturia in dogs with leishmaniosis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with leishmaniosis (a disease caused by a parasite) showed lower levels of certain proteins in their urine that indicate kidney damage compared to healthy dogs. Specifically, the proteins podocin and nephrin were found in lower amounts in dogs with more severe kidney disease. This suggests that measuring these proteins could help identify early kidney problems in dogs with leishmaniosis. The study highlights the importance of monitoring kidney health in these dogs to prevent chronic kidney disease.
People also search for: dog leishmaniosis kidney disease · low podocin nephrin in dogs · kidney health in dogs with leishmaniosis
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Renal disease is the main cause of death in canine leishmaniosis. Detection of an active glomerular injury is important to identify early renal damage and to prevent the development of chronic kidney disease. Podocyturia can indicate renal injury, and podocyte-associated molecules such as podocin and nephrin can be used to identify podocyturia. The purpose of the study was to evaluate urinary podocin and nephrin concentrations in dogs with leishmaniosis as markers of podocyturia. METHODS: A total of 35 healthy dogs and 37 dogs with leishmaniosis were enrolled in the study. Dogs with leishmaniosis were classified according to the staging of the International Renal Interest Society (IRIS). Urinary podocin and nephrin concentrations were measured in all dogs with a validated enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test and normalized to creatinine (uPoC and uNeC, respectively). The demographic, clinical, and laboratory data from both groups were analyzed and compared. Subsequently, the laboratory results were analyzed and compared according to IRIS staging in dogs in IRIS stage I and dogs in IRIS stage II + III + IV. The Pearson's correlation test evaluated the relationship between urinary markers of podocyturia. RESULTS: Compared with healthy dogs, lower urinary podocin [median values (IQR): 15.10 (11.75-17.87) ng/ml versus 8.63 (7.08-13.56) ng/ml; P < 0.01] and nephrin [median values (IQR): 3.2 (3.62-5.43) ng/ml versus 2.67 (2.06-3.44) ng/ml; P < 0.01] were found in infected sick dogs. No significant differences were observed in the uPoC and uNeC between the two groups. Urinary nephrin and podocin concentrations were higher in healthy dogs and in dogs in IRIS stage I (both P < 0.05) compared with dogs in IRIS stages II + III + IV. No significant differences were found for uPoC and uNeC between healthy dogs and dogs with leishmaniosis in different IRIS clinical stages. CONCLUSIONS: Dogs with leishmaniosis had a low concentration of podocin and nephrin in more advanced IRIS clinical stages, when kidney disease was more severe compared with healthy dogs and dogs in IRIS stage I with mild disease. Urinary nephrin was detectable for the first time in healthy non-infected dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39380100/