Epidermal growth factor in urine after kidney transplantation in humans.

The urinary excretion of epidermal growth factor (EGF) was studied after kidney transplantation in 15 patients. At the final follow-up (between 38 and 173 days after transplantation) the 9 patients with a successful transplantation excreted EGF in the urine, but the concentration was low (0.13-1.1 nmol/l) compared to individuals with two kidneys (1.0-9.8 nmol/l). In all of the patients the urine creatinine increased prior to the increase in urine EGF. Patients who received cyclosporine A as immunosuppressive treatment excreted little or no EGF during the first month, while patients who received prednisone and azathioprine excreted EGF as early as four days after the transplantation. Our results together with earlier published data suggests that urinary EGF originates from the kidney.