LONDON : A test which detects structural differences in kidney filters – tiny units that control what passes into the urine – can predict kidney disease before any damage has been done or symptoms appear, researchers say.
Scientists at The University of Manchester have been studying why some people are more susceptible to kidney disease because of their race and gender.
“It’s well known that impaired kidney function is more common in Afro-Caribbean individuals compared to those from a Caucasian background, and in men compared to women. However, the reasons for the difference in susceptibility are only just being discovered,” said Dr Rachel Lennon from the Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell-Matrix Research.
Lennon and her team wanted to focus on the structure around the cells within the kidney tissue to understand what might be contributing to the development of kidney disease.
The researchers used mass spectrometry to analyse the tissue from mice with different genetic backgrounds and sexes, some of which were more susceptible to kidney failure.
The sample of tissue was from the kidney filters which control what passes into our urine and what the body holds on to. Each kidney has about a million filters which process up to 180 litres of fluid a day.
The team found there were significant differences in the composition and type of proteins between the mice. The greatest difference was between mice from different genetic backgrounds as opposed to whether they were male or female.
Next the scientists used an electron microscope to get a detailed look at the filters. A normal filter has a scaffold of proteins between two types of cells.
The team found that the scaffold part of the barrier in the susceptible mice was abnormal with splits and bulges.
“The most surprising thing about our findings were that the mice weren’t actually exhibiting any symptoms of kidney disease and were all still in full health despite having this different structure in their filters. Their kidneys appeared to be functioning normally,” Lennon said.
Lennon and her team will be investigating the reasons behind the difference in structure, and whether there is a mechanism that could be switched off before symptoms of kidney disease become apparent and damage has occurred.
They also plan to look at human tissue to investigate whether the same differences are present in our filters. Lennon said it’s likely they will make the same findings.
“At the moment we do see these changes in structure when looking at biopsies from kidney patients in clinic but we haven’t known what they mean,” Lennon said.
“What we’re hoping is that this research will help develop a test that picks up kidney disease or even just a susceptibility to kidney disease before any damage has been done.
“We’re also keen to look at whether we could manipulate the process which leads to the structural change to develop new, more effective treatments,” she said.
The findings have been published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. *(PTI)
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