Conclusion
Different levels of the studied proteins in uEVs may indicate podocyte injury and represent a direct association with the pathology of IgAN and MGN.
Methods
Patients with GN [biopsy-proven IgAN (n = 16) and membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN, n = 16)], and healthy controls (n = 16) were included in this study. The uEVs were extracted, characterized, and analyzed to evaluate the protein levels of candidate markers of IgAN, including vasorin precursor, aminopeptidase N, and ceruloplasmin by western-blot analysis.
Results
Higher levels of both podocytes and EVs-related proteins were observed in the pooled urine samples of GN patients compared to the healthy controls. In IgAN patients, uEV-protein levels of vasorin were statistically lower while levels of ceruloplasmin were significantly higher compared to MGN (P = 0.002, P = 0.06) and healthy controls, respectively (P = 0.020, P= 0.001).