Severity of tubular brush border damage in cadmium-polluted area (Jinzu river basin): clinical role of urinary trehalase.

Urinary trehalase activity and leucine aminopeptidase activity were parabolically correlated with urinary beta 2-microglobulin, and these enzymes were observed to be biphasic in relation to urinary beta 2-microglobulin when the study populations included patients of Itai-itai disease and inhabitants of a cadmium-polluted area. Furthermore, urinary trehalase activity was parabolically correlated with urinary total protein and urinary glucose. From these results, it is inferred that by measuring both urinary trehalase and urinary beta 2-microglobulin, one can elucidate the degree of tubular damage.