Background: The association between hyperuricemia and development of progressive chronic kidney disease has received increasing attention in recent years. Recent preclinical studies have shown that non-crystalline uric acid can induce renal-specific arteriolopathy, leading to renal injury and tubulointerstitial inflammation.
Methods: We conducted a open-label cross-sectional study of 25 patients with chronic kidney disease stage III (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR], 7.0 mg/dL) levels of serum uric acid. To determine the correlation between hyperuricemia on urinary protein levels and renal disease progression, we retrospectively compared urine protein and eGFR data between the 2 groups.
Results: Eleven patients with normal uric acid levels and 14 with hyperuricemia were enrolled. Urinary levels of both kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) were significantly higher in patients with hyperuricemia. Among the normouricemic White and African American (AA) subgroups, there was no difference in KIM-1 or MCP-1 levels, whereas KIM-1 levels were significantly higher among hyperuricemic AA patients with hyperuricemia. Urinary protein was significantly higher between Whites and AA patients with serum uric acid level >7.0 mg/dL as well as patients with urinary KIM-1 levels >1000 pg/mg Cr. A trend toward a more rapid decline in eGFR was noted among hyperuricemic AAs; however, this trend was not statistically significant.
Conclusions: Patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy and persistently elevated serum uric acid levels express higher levels of both KIM-1 and MCP-1 reflective of on-going renal injury and inflammation.
Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.