Abstract:Objective: To investigate the expression levels of inflammation-related factors toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and nuclear transcription factor-kappa B (NF-κB) in renal tissues of patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN) and to explore the clinical significance of the inflammatory factors TLR4 and NF-κB in the pathogenesis of IMN. Methods: In this study, 45 patients who were initially diagnosed with IMN by renal biopsy in the Department of Nephrology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College were included in the group of idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN group), and 20 patients who had nephrectomy for renal contusion, renal tumor or ureteral tumor and left healthy kidney tissues in the same period were selected as the normal control group (NC group). The relevant clinical indexes were collected and analyzed to compare the differences between the two groups. The expressions of inflammatory factors TLR4 and NF-κB in the kidney tissues of the two groups were detected by immunohistochemistry, and the mean optical density values were analyzed to compare the differences in inflammatory factor expressions between the two groups. The IMN group was divided into 29 cases in the fibrosis group and 16 cases in the no-fibrosis group, and the differences in inflammatory factor expression between the two groups were analyzed and compared to understand the role of inflammation in renal interstitial fibrosis. Pearson correlation analysis was applied between the two groups of inflammatory factors and their correlation with clinical indices. Results: The renal tissue expression levels of TLR4 and NF-κB were significantly higher in the IMN group than in the NC group (P<0.01). The expression of TLR4 and NF-κB was significantly stronger in the IMN fibrosis group than in the group without fibrosis (P<0.05). Correlation analysis revealed a close correlation between TLR4 and NF-κB (P<0.01). The TLR4 was negatively associated with serum albumin and high density lipoprotein (P<0.01) and positively associated with urinary protein quantification, serum cholesterol, and low density lipoprotein (P<0.05, P<0.01). The NF-κB was negatively associated with serum albumin and high density lipoprotein (P<0.05) and positively associated with 24-hour urinary protein quantification (P<0.05). Conclusion: The expression level of inflammatory factors TLR4 and NF-κB are upregulated in IMN kidney tissue, and the interaction causes cell damage in renal tissue, leading to renal interstitial fibrosis, which is involved in the occurrence and development of IMN.
刘程君, 潘艳, 刘磊, 陈卫东, 陈畅, 常保超. 炎症相关因子TLR4 NF-κB在特发性膜性肾病肾组织中的表达及临床意义[J]. 河北医学, 2023, 29(6): 967-971.
LIU Chengjun, PAN Yan, LIU Lei, et al. Expression and Clinical Significance of the Inflammation-Related Factors TLR4 and NF-κB in Renal Tissue of Idiopathic Membranous Nephropathy. HeBei Med, 2023, 29(6): 967-971.