Background: Lipid peroxidation (LPO) plays a role in glomerulonephritis pathogenesis. The role of LPO in IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and the effect of prostaglandin E1 on it, is not determined.
Methods: Levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and vitamin E (vitE) were measured in 42 patients with IgAN and in 31 healthy controls. Clinical nephropathy parameters such as daily proteinuria (DP), serum creatinine (Cr) and Cr clearance were obtained. Forty-two IgAN patients were divided into two subgroups according to renal pathology severity. Twenty-one patients with IgAN received lipo-prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) treatment and the other 21 patients received saline as a control.
Results: The serum activity of SOD and vitE in IgAN patients was significantly lower than in healthy controls, while the MDA level was higher in the patient groups. DP-related positively to MDA, while it related negatively to SOD and vitE. Cr clearance related negatively to MDA, while it related positively to SOD and vitE. In the moderate pathological group, the MDA level was significantly higher and the SOD activity was lower than in the mild pathological group. The MDA level in the PGE1 treated group was lower than in the control group, but the activity of SOD and vitE did not differ significantly from the control group. DP declined and Cr clearance increased in the PGE1 treated group, while no significant change in serum Cr was noted.
Conclusions: LPO in IgAN was evident and was at least attributed to the decline in antioxidant ability. LPO could play a role in IgAN pathogenesis, and PGE1 is able to ameliorate the LPO in IgAN patients.