Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Sep 24;70(1):23.
doi: 10.1007/s00005-022-00660-x.

Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Antibodies Are Higher in Lupus Nephritis and Vasculitis than Other Glomerulonephritis Patients

Maciej Szymczak  1 , Harald Heidecke  2 , Marcelina Żabińska  3 , Dagna Rukasz  3 , Krzysztof Wiśnicki  3 , Andrzej Tukiendorf  4 , Magdalena Krajewska  3 , Mirosław Banasik  3
Affiliations

Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Antibodies Are Higher in Lupus Nephritis and Vasculitis than Other Glomerulonephritis Patients

Maciej Szymczak et al. Arch Immunol Ther Exp (Warsz). .

Abstract

Angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) antibodies are considered non-HLA (human leukocyte antigen) antibodies connected with humoral rejection after kidney transplantation. The role of AT1R antibodies in the pathogenesis of glomerular diseases and systemic vasculitis is unknown. We assessed the level of AT1R antibodies in 136 patients with different types of glomerulonephritis and systemic vasculitis and we observed kidney function and proteinuria, serum albumin and total protein levels for 2 years. The mean levels of AT1R antibodies were the following: 6.00 ± 1.31 U/ml in patients with membranous nephropathy (n = 18), 5.67 ± 1.31 U/ml with focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis (n = 25), 6.26 ± 2.25 U/ml with lupus nephropathy (n = 17), 10.60 ± 6.72 U/ml with IgA nephropathy (n = 14), 6.69 ± 2.52 U/ml with mesangial proliferative (non IgA) glomerulonephritis (n = 6), 6.63 ± 1.38 U/ml with systemic vasculitis (n = 56), including c-ANCA (anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies) vasculitis: 11.22 ± 10.78 U/ml (n = 40) and p-ANCA vasculitis: 12.65 ± 14.59 U/ml (n = 16). The mean AT1R antibodies level was higher in patients with lupus nephropathy and systemic vasculitis compared to glomerulonephritis groups. An inverse statistically significant correlation between AT1R antibodies and serum albumin (r = - 0.51) in membranous nephropathy group was also found. Prospective analysis of creatinine levels indicated an increase of creatinine levels during time among patients with higher AT1R antibodies levels in p-ANCA vasculitis. Lupus nephropathy and systemic vasculitis patients may have high levels of AT1R antibodies. AT1R antibodies may be associated with the severity of membranous nephropathy and the course of p-ANCA vasculitis, although influence of concomitant factors is difficult to exclude.

Keywords: Angiotensin II type 1 receptor antibodies; Glomerulonephritis; Lupus nephritis; Vasculitis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare no conflict of interest. Blood analysis was performed by CELLTREND (Luckenwalde, Germany) free of charge. Maciej Szymczak, Marcelina Żabińska, Dagna Rukasz, Krzysztof Grubizna, Magdalena Krajewska, Mirosław Banasik have nothing to disclose. Harald Heidecke is CEO and stakeholder of Celltrend GmbH.

References

    1. Abuzeineh M, Aala A, Alasfar S, et al. Angiotensin II receptor 1 antibodies associate with post-transplant focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and proteinuria. BMC Nephrol. 2020;21:253. doi: 10.1186/s12882-020-01910-w. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ajdinovic B, Dragovic T, Magic Z, et al. The importance of angiotensin II type 1 receptor gene polymorphism to losartan treatment in improving glomerulopathy in type 1 diabetic patients. Hell J Nucl Med. 2015;18(Suppl 1):153. - PubMed
    1. Akaishi T, Abe M, Okuda H, et al. High glucose level and angiotensin II type 1 receptor stimulation synergistically amplify oxidative stress in renal mesangial cells. Sci Rep. 2019;9:5214. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-41536-z. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Banasik M, Boratyńska M, Kościelska-Kasprzak K, et al. The influence of non-HLA antibodies directed against angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) on early renal transplant outcomes. Transpl Int. 2014;27:1029–1038. doi: 10.1111/tri.12371. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Banasik M, Boratyńska M, Kościelska-Kasprzak K, et al. Non-HLA antibodies angiotensin II type 1 receptor (anti-AT1R) and endothelin-1 type A receptor (anti-ETAR) are associated with renal allograft injury and graft loss. Transplant Proc. 2014;46:2618–2621. doi: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2014.09.029. - DOI - PubMed