Clinical Nephrology – Epidemiology – Clinical Trials

Kidney International (2005) 67, 1993–1998; doi:10.1111/j.1523-1755.2005.00300.x

Circulating vitamin E, transforming growth factor bold beta1, and the association with renal disease susceptibility in two racial groups with type 2 diabetes

KARIMA ZITOUNI, DIANE D HARRY, JAFFAR NOUROOZ-ZADEH, D JOHN BETTERIDGE and KENNETH A EARLE

Department of Medicine, Royal Free and University College Medical School, Whittington Hospital, London, United Kingdom

Correspondence: Dr K.A. Earle, St. George's Hospital, Thomas Addison Unit, Blackshaw Rd., London, SW17 OQT UK. E-mail:k.earle@sghms.ac.uk

Received 15 June 2004; Revised 13 August 2004; Re-revised 6 October 2004; Accepted 13 December 2004.

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Abstract

Circulating vitamin E, transforming growth factor beta1, and the association with renal disease susceptibility in two racial groups with type 2 diabetes.

Background

 

End-stage renal disease caused by diabetes disproportionately affects patients of African origin. The biological mechanism(s) for this observation is unclear. Emerging data from cross-sectional studies suggest that increased oxidative stress and the cytokine, transforming growth factor beta1, are associated with this phenomenon. Therefore, a pathway involving these factors could alter the vulnerability to renal disease and impact adversely on the rate of loss of renal function.

Methods

 

We assessed the relationship between renal function, oxidative stress, and transforming growth factor beta1 in 58 patients with type 2 diabetes of African and Caucasian origin over 174 patient-years of follow-up. Oxidative stress was assessed by measuring plasma lipid hydroperoxide and vitamin E in the postprandial state. Creatinine clearance was calculated from the Cockcroft-Gault equation. Patients received standardized management of hypertension, hyperglycemia, and hypercholesterolemia. Data were adjusted by multiple regression analysis to account for potential confounders.

Results

 

Lipid hydroperoxide was higher and vitamin E lower, while there was no difference in fasting transforming growth factor beta1 between the African (N = 22) and Caucasian (N = 36) patients [5.1(1.2) vs. 4.3 (1.8) mumol/L; P = 0.02 and 29.8 (10.8) vs. 41.3(19.7) mumol/L; P = 0.02 and 6.33 (5.5) vs. 6.84 (3.9) ng/mL; P = 0.73], respectively. The mean (95% confidence interval) of the difference in creatinine clearance between the patients of African and Caucasian origin was -12.5 (-23.4 to -1.7) mL/min; P = 0.015 at baseline, the magnitude of which increased to -17.5 (-28.4 to -6.5) mL/min; P = 0.002 after 3 years. The fall in creatinine clearance from baseline among the patients of African origin was greater for lower levels of vitamin E (rho = 0.48; P = 0.03). Final plasma creatinine was significantly higher in the African patients compared with the Caucasian patients [109.0 (25.8) vs. 94.0 (20.0) mumol/L; P = 0.0017]. In regression analysis, vitamin E was a significant and independent predictor of plasma creatinine (t –3.17, P = 0.003).

Conclusion

 

In these patients with type 2 diabetes, vitamin E is a determinant of renal function, and may explain some of the racial differences in renal disease susceptibility that precedes the divergence in incidence of end-stage renal disease.

Keywords:

hypertension, vitamin E, TGF-beta, oxidative stress, diabetes mellitus, renal function

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