<Original> Nesfatin-1 and tubulointerstitial damage in diabetic kidney disease: A possible biomarker for the histological severity

[Abstract] Background: Although adipokines are known to contribute to the pathogenesis of diabetic kidney disease (DKD), pathological significance of nesfatin-1, an adipokine in DKD remains unclear. We studied the possible associations between serum nesfatin-1 concentrations and histological renal damages in 56 persons with biopsy-proved DKD. Methods: The relation between serum nesfatin-1 concentrations, clinical parameters and renal histological damage were cross-sectionally investigated. Results: Serum nesfatin-1 concentrations showed a significant negative correlation with age, total cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, but not with other clinical parameters. Persons were divided into the following three groups based on serum nesfatin-1 concentrations (pg/mL): low- (log average: 1.99), normal- (log average: 3.05), and high-group (log average: 3.60). Histological analysis of tubulointerstitial lesions showed higher interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy scores and more severe interstitial infiltration in the group with low serum nesfatin-1 concentrations than in the other groups. Conclusion: Serum nesfatin-1 concentrations showed a strong correlation with diabetic tubulointerstitial damage level, suggesting its clinical utility as a biomarker for histological injury in DKD.