Abstract
Introduction
Globotriaosylceramide (Gb3, CD77) represents a pivotal part of the cell membrane. Measuring the urinary Gb3 content can be used to screen patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) for Fabry disease, a disorder caused by hampered Gb3 degradation. However, little is known about factors influencing urinary Gb3 excretion other than Fabry disease. The aim of the present study was to identify routine diagnostic parameters as predictors of urinary Gb3 excretion in patients with CKD.
Methods
Our study included 609 subjects with CKD stage I–V. We analyzed the influence of age, gender, renal function, urinary cell content and chemical characteristics on urinary Gb3 concentrations (total Gb3, Gb3-24 isoform, and Gb3-24:18 isoform ratio), determined by direct electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.
Results
In 609 subjects the median total urinary Gb3 was 233 ng/mg and the Gb3-24:18 isoform ratio was 1.2. Twenty-one patients, none of whom had Fabry disease, had a Gb3-24:18 isoform ratio ≥2.3. Females excreted a higher total amount of Gb3, but the Gb3-24:18 isoform ratio was comparable to males. Renal function and age had no influence on total Gb3, Gb3 isoforms or the ratio. Only a distinct load of bacteria and leukocytes was associated with an increased Gb3 excretion. Urinary leukocytes, erythrocytes, bacteria, or protein content did not affect the Gb3-24:18 isoform ratio.
Conclusion
The Gb3-24:18 isoform ratio is unaffected by several potential influencing variables and may thus be applied for screening for Fabry disease in unselected cohorts of patients presenting with CKD.
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Acknowledgments
We acknowledge the help of Miriam Kunst, Ingrid Jachimow, Sylvia Taxer, Karin Voith, Danica Doric, Maria Villaluz, Gabi Rath, Violeta Tanacovic in conducting the study. Laboratory analyses were supported by an unrestricted grant from Sanofi-Genzyme (Sanofi-Genzyme Austria G.m.b.H., Vienna, Austria).
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On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.
Ethical approval
All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The ethics committee of the Medical University of Vienna approved the study.
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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
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Gaggl, M., Hofer, M., Weidner, S. et al. Interfering parameters in the determination of urinary globotriaosylceramide (Gb3) in patients with chronic kidney disease. J Nephrol 28, 679–689 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40620-015-0193-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40620-015-0193-1