OBJECTIVE: Oxidative stress (OS) is described as the imbalance of oxidative and anti-oxidative systems towards oxidants and plays a role in the pathogenesis of GN. In many studies, ischemiamodified albumin (IMA) is identified as a sign of OS. However, it has not yet been studied in patients with primary GN in the literature. In the present study, we aimed to determine the role of IMA in the pathogenesis of primary GN.
MATERIAL and METHODS: Forty-five primary GN patients were divided into two groups as proliferative GN (PGN) (n= 17, 37.8%) and non-proliferative GN (NPGN) (n= 28, 62.2%) according to the histopathological findings. IMA was studied by the cobalt binding method. Since serum albumin levels are commonly low in patients with GN, we calculated the adjusted IMA (aIMA) according to serum albumin.
RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding IMA compared with controls (n= 50). IMA was significantly higher in the PGN group compared with the control and NPGN groups (p= 0.009, 0.037; respectively). There was a negative correlation between serum albumin concentration and IMA.
CONCLUSION: These results support the role of OS in the pathogenesis of PGN in which inflammatory immune glomerular injury is predominant.