BACKGROUND: Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is a key mediator of tissue fibrogenesis in kidney disease. Its involvement in renal allograft fibrosis was recently demonstrated in a mouse model. METHODS: We prospectively studied the association between urinary CTGF (CTGFu) levels and renal allograft fibrosis during the first 2 years after transplantation. Histologic and biochemical data were collected from 315 kidney transplant recipients enrolled in a protocol biopsy-based clinical program. RESULTS: At 3, 12, and 24 months after transplantation, CTGFu levels were independently associated with the degree of interstitial fibrosis in protocol biopsies, scored according to the revised 1997 Banff criteria. In a subgroup of 164 patients with pristine biopsies at 3 months, higher CTGFu levels at 3 months were associated with moderate and severe interstitial fibrosis developed at 24 months after transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: As it is readily quantifiable in urine, a role for CTGFu as a noninvasive candidate biomarker and predictor of human renal allograft fibrogenesis deserves further study.
BACKGROUND:Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is a key mediator of tissue fibrogenesis in kidney disease. Its involvement in renal allograft fibrosis was recently demonstrated in a mouse model. METHODS: We prospectively studied the association between urinary CTGF (CTGFu) levels and renal allograft fibrosis during the first 2 years after transplantation. Histologic and biochemical data were collected from 315 kidney transplant recipients enrolled in a protocol biopsy-based clinical program. RESULTS: At 3, 12, and 24 months after transplantation, CTGFu levels were independently associated with the degree of interstitial fibrosis in protocol biopsies, scored according to the revised 1997 Banff criteria. In a subgroup of 164 patients with pristine biopsies at 3 months, higher CTGFu levels at 3 months were associated with moderate and severe interstitial fibrosis developed at 24 months after transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: As it is readily quantifiable in urine, a role for CTGFu as a noninvasive candidate biomarker and predictor of human renal allograft fibrogenesis deserves further study.
Authors: Floris A Valentijn; Sebastiaan N Knoppert; Georgios Pissas; Raúl R Rodrigues-Diez; Laura Marquez-Exposito; Roel Broekhuizen; Michal Mokry; Lennart A Kester; Lucas L Falke; Roel Goldschmeding; Marta Ruiz-Ortega; Theodoros Eleftheriadis; Tri Q Nguyen Journal: Antioxidants (Basel) Date: 2021-12-20