The clinical significance of the serum levels of hs-CRP and IL-6 and TNF-α in patients with diabetic nephropathy

Objective To investigate the changes of serum hs-CRP、IL-6、and TNF-α levels in patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN) and the clinical significance. Methods One hundred patients with type 2 diabetes were selected for this study. The patients were divided into three groups according to urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER): 28 patients with normal UAER as DM group, 39 patients with microalbuminuria as DN1 group and 33 patients as DN2 group. Thirty healthy subjects were used as control group. The serum levels of hs-CRP level was detected by immunoturbidimetry, IL-6 and TNF-α concentrations were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results Serum levels of hs-CRP、IL-6 and TNF-α were significantly higher in patients with diabetic nephropathy than those in controls(P<0.05). The serum levels of hs-CRP、IL-6 and TNF-α were increased steply with urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER) increase,the differences between the groups was significant (P<0.05). Conclusions Hs-CRP、IL-6 and TNF-α participated in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. Monitoring the changes of their serum levels was helpful for the management of the disease, and probably be a prognostic factor of DN. Key words: Diabetic nephropathy;  Hs-CRP;  IL-6;  TNF-α