Treatment Of Glomerulopathy Research Articles

The highlights in nephrology in 2023

This article aims to summarize the “Quoi de neuf en néphrologie?” session held at the 2023 SFNDT Congress in Liège and sessions focused on updates regarding IgA nephropathy (NIgA) and ANCA-associated vasculitis. The agenda for the nephrology “Quoi de neuf en néphrologie?” session this year was to review key publications from non-nephrology journals, discussing topics such as nephroprotection, treatment of glomerulopathies (IgA and APOL1), clinical trials on arterial hypertension, urinary lithiasis, and other areas of renal physiology, including glomerular filtration rate estimation.

Implications of rituximab pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic alterations in various immune-mediated glomerulopathies and potential anti-CD20 therapy alternatives.

The specific B-cell depleting anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab (RTX) is effective in terms of the treatment of various immune-mediated glomerulopathies. The administration of RTX has been shown to be reliable and highly effective particularly in patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis, which is manifested predominantly with non-nephrotic proteinuria. Stable long-term B-cell depletion is usually readily attained in such patients using standard dosing regimens. However, in patients with nephrotic syndrome and non-selective proteinuria, the RTX pharmacokinetics is altered profoundly and RTX does not maintain high enough levels for a sufficiently long period, which may render RTX treatment ineffective. Since complement-derived cytotoxicity is one of the important modes of action of RTX, hypocomplementemia, frequently associated with systemic lupus erythematodes, may act to hamper the efficacy of RTX in the treatment of patients with lupus nephritis. This review provides a description of RTX pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in several selected glomerulopathies, as well as the impact of proteinuria, anti-drug antibodies and other clinical variables on the clearance and volume of distribution of RTX. The impact of plasmapheresis and peritoneal dialysis on the clearance of RTX is also discussed in the paper. A review is provided of the potential association between pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic alterations in various kidney-affecting glomerular diseases, the sustainability of B-cell depletion and the clinical efficacy of RTX, with proposals for potential dosing implications. The role of therapeutic drug monitoring in treatment tailoring is also discussed, and various previously tested RTX dosing schedules are compared in terms of their clinical and laboratory treatment responses. Since alternative anti-CD20 molecules may prove effective in RTX unresponsive patients, their pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and current role in the treatment of glomerulopathies are also mentioned.

Expectations in children with glomerular diseases from SGLT2 inhibitors.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global public healthcare concern in the pediatric population, where glomerulopathies represent the second most common cause. Although classification and diagnosis of glomerulopathies still rely mostly on histopathological patterns, patient stratification should complement information supplied by kidney biopsy with clinical data and etiological criteria. Genetic determinants of glomerular injury are particularly relevant in children, with important implications for prognosis and treatment. Targeted therapies addressing the primary cause of the disease are available for a limited number of glomerular diseases. Consequently, in the majority of cases, the treatment of glomerulopathies is actually the treatment of CKD. The efficacy of the currently available strategies is limited, but new prospects evolve. Although the exact mechanisms of action are still under investigation, accumulating data in adults demonstrate the efficacy of sodium-glucose transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) in slowing the progression of CKD due to diabetic and non-diabetic kidney disease. SGLT2i has proved effective on other comorbidities, such as obesity, glycemic control, and cardiovascular risk that frequently accompany CKD. The use of SGLT2i is not yet approved in children. However, no pathophysiological clues theoretically exclude their application. The hallmark of pediatric CKD is the inevitable imbalance between the metabolic needs of a growing child and the functional capacity of a failing kidney to handle those needs. In this view, developing better strategies to address any modifiable progressor in kidney disease is mandatory, especially considering the long lifespan typical of the pediatric population. By improving the hemodynamic adaptation of the kidney and providing additional beneficial effects on the overall complications of CKD, SGLT2i is a candidate as a potentially innovative drug for the treatment of CKD and glomerular diseases in children.

Effect of Glomerulopathy Recurrence in the Outcome and Graft Survival of Kidney Transplanted Patients

BackgroundRecurrent glomerulopathy (GP) after kidney transplantation is a complication of kidney transplantation that could negatively affect kidney function and graft survival. This study aimed to evaluate the outcome, graft survival, and GP recurrence and its predictive factors in kidney-transplanted patients. MethodsPatients were divided into 2 groups: G1 (with GP; n = 95) and G2 (with other causes of end-stage renal disease; n = 373). Graft survival analyses were performed using the Kaplan-Meier for living donor (LD) and deceased donor (DD). Cox proportional hazards regression were used to investigate the predictors for graft loss and for GP recurrence. ResultsDisease recurrence was observed in 9 patients who received a kidney from an LD, of which 4 lost their grafts. In patients who received a kidney from a DD, recurrence was also observed in 9 patients, of which 3 lost their grafts. No statistically significant differences in graft survival between G1 and G2 in relation to LD and DD were noted (P = .299 and .434, respectively). However, differences in graft survival were found when GP subtypes and GP recurrence were analyzed. The predictors of graft loss were delayed graft function (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.226, P = .002), rejection episodes (HR = 1.904, P = .017), and recurrence or transplant GP (HR = 3.243, P = .006). The predictors of disease recurrence or transplant GP were age (HR = 0.945, P = .028) and cold ischemia time (HR = 1.117, P = .003). ConclusionKidney transplantation could be a reasonable treatment for GP with end-stage renal disease. Despite the disease recurrence, which is a significant cause of graft loss in transplant recipients, graft survival remains satisfactory.

Old friends form alliance against podocytes

Wang and colleagues identify the activation of Wnt signaling as an important downstream event in transforming growth factor-β-mediated podocyte injury. Supported by other recent studies, canonical Wnt signaling is emerging as a critical stress pathway in podocytes and may be exploited for therapeutic strategies in the treatment of glomerulopathies.

Membranous nephropathy in an HIV-positive patient complicated with hepatitis B virus infection

In ordinary settings, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated nephropathy should be considered when HIV infection is associated with heavy proteinuria. On the other hand, hepatitis B virus (HBV) may also play a role in the development of glomerular injury among patients with HIV infection, since HIV and HBV infections commonly occur together due to shared modes of transmission. We present here a case of nephrotic syndrome in an HIV-positive patient complicated with HBV infection. A renal biopsy revealed sparse granular deposits of immunoglobulin G in the subepithelial region, consistent with membranous nephropathy (MN) stage I. Moreover, immunostaining exhibited weak anti-hepatitis B core activity within glomeruli. These results led us to consider that HBV-associated MN might play a role in the development of nephrotic syndrome. Although anti-viral treatment for patients with HBV-associated MN has been suggested to be clinically effective, the use of two anti-HIV agents (tenofovir and emtricitabine), both of which have anti-HBV activities, was not effective for the patient's nephrotic syndrome, despite obtaining a decrease in the serum HBV-DNA levels. A lack of prospective data suggests that many decisions on the treatment of glomerulopathies with HIV infections are potentially empirical. Obviously, further studies and accumulated clinical experience are required to better determine the pathogenesis and management of HBV-associated MN among patients with HIV infections.

Proteinuria and Progression in Human Glomerular Diseases

Proteinuria is characteristic of many glomerular conditions, and often exceeds 2-3 g/24 h. There are several possible routes by which such profuse proteinuria might contribute to progression of the underlying pathology, whatever its type. First, proteinuria leads to a transit of protein through glomerular structures, including the glomerular capillary basement membrane, the mesangium and the epithelial cells, and to increased traffic of protein through the proximal tubules by pinocytosis of filtered protein. This traffic may be toxic to the cells concerned, and there is some evidence from 'overload' proteinuria induced in animals that this is so. Second, proteinuria leads to secondary hyperlipidemia with raised lipoproteins: mesangial cells have receptors for lipoproteins and in vitro, they are damaged by high concentrations, and there is evidence that hyperlipidemia leads to glomerulosclerosis. Third, proteinuria leads to hyperaggregability of platelets through alterations in plasma proteins, principally a fall in concentration of serum albumin and a rise in that of the von Willebrand factor, and possibly to increases in humoral coagulation cascades as well through losses of regulator proteins such as antithrombin III. There is evidence that anticoagulation and antiplatelet drugs will inhibit glomerulosclerosis in animals. Whether all or any of these mechanisms operate in human disease is not known; however, prognosis correlates well with duration and intensity of proteinuria in almost all proteinuric states and with the appearance and persistence of proteinuria in hematuric conditions. Therapies designed to reduce proteinuria per se may have a role in the treatment of glomerulopathies.