Plasma MCP-1 and TGF-β1 Levels are Associated with Kidney Injury in Children with Congenital Anomalies of the Kidney and Urinary Tract.

Congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) are primarily causal for end-stage renal disease and have significant implications for long-term survival. A total of 39 healthy controls and 94 children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) were enrolled (3-12 years old as children, 13-18 years old as adolescents), who were divided into CAKUT and Non-CAKUT according to the etiology of CKD. CKD group was further classified according to estimating glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Circulating levels of inflammatory markers such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), monocyte chemokine-1 (MCP-1), and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) were analyzed. The relationship between these inflammatory markers with eGFR and the kidney injury parameter (urine protein) was investigated to assess their potential as early markers of disease progression. All circulating levels of these inflammatory cytokines were increased in CKD patients (including CAKUT and Non-CAKUT) compared with healthy subjects. The circulating levels of MCP-1 and TGF-β1 were increased in CAKUT adolescents compared with CAKUT children. In CAKUT children, levels of MCP-1 and TGF-β1 increased as CKD progressed, and MCP-1 and TGF-β1 were negatively and significantly correlated with eGFR and positively with urine protein. MCP-1 and TGF-β1 may contribute to the early detection of CKD and disease stage/progression in CAKUT children.