Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Urine inflammation markers higher in cats with chronic kidney disease
By Habenicht, Lauren M et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2013·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Urinary cytokine levels in apparently healthy cats and cats with chronic kidney disease.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD) showed higher levels of certain inflammatory markers in their urine compared to healthy cats. Specifically, the cats with CKD had increased levels of IL-8 and TGF-β1, while their levels of VEGF were lower. This suggests that measuring these markers in urine could help veterinarians assess inflammation and kidney health in cats with CKD without needing invasive procedures like a biopsy. While this research is promising, it's still early, and more studies are needed to confirm how these tests can be used in practice.
Abstract
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common cause of illness and death in cats. The hallmark of CKD in cats is chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis, and inflammation contributes to the progression of renal fibrosis. However, at present, it is difficult to assess directly the degree of intra-renal inflammation without renal biopsy. Measurement of inflammatory cytokine levels in urine may provide a non-invasive means of assessing intra-renal inflammation. Urine cytokine levels (urine cytokine/urine creatinine ratio) were measured in 18 healthy cats and 26 cats with CKD. When urine cytokine levels in healthy and CKD cats were compared, we found significantly higher levels of IL-8 and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in urine of CKD cats, along with significantly lower vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels. A significant positive correlation between serum creatinine and TGF-β1 levels was found in CKD cats. Urinary cytokine measurement may, potentially, be a useful means of assessing intra-renal inflammation, fibrosis and vascular health in cats with CKD.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22989558/