Enhanced angiotensinogen expression in neonates during kidney development

Background
We recently demonstrated that preterm neonates have higher urinary angiotensinogen (AGT) levels than full-term neonates. Here, we tested the hypothesis that enhanced neonatal AGT expression is associated with intrarenal renin-angiotensin system (RAS) status during kidney development.
Methods
We prospectively recruited neonates born at our hospital and healthy children with minor glomerular abnormalities between April 2013 and March 2017. We measured neonatal plasma and urinary AGT levels at birth and one year later and assessed renal AGT expression in kidney tissues from neonates and healthy children using immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis.
Results
Fifty-four neonates and eight children were enrolled. Although there were no changes in plasma AGT levels, urinary AGT levels were significantly decreased one year after birth. Urinary AGT levels at birth were inversely correlated with gestational age, and urinary AGT levels at birth and one year later were inversely correlated with estimated glomerular filtration rate one year after birth. IHC analysis showed that renal AGT expression in neonates was higher than that in healthy children and inversely correlated with gestational age.
Conclusions
Enhanced AGT expression and urinary AGT excretion may reflect intrarenal RAS activation associated with kidney development in utero.

内容要旨・審査要旨・論文本文の公開
本論文は，著者Miki Shonoの学位論文として提出され，学位審査・授与の対象となっている。
This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Clinical and Experimental Nephrology. The final authenticated version is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10157-018-1662-3

© Japanese Society of Nephrology 2018