Urinary excretion of fatty acid-binding proteins in idiopathic membranous nephropathy

Abstract

Background. It is suggested that proteinuria contributes to progressive renal failure by inducing tubular cell injury. The site of injury is unknown. Most studies have used markers of proximal tubular cell damage. Fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs) are intracellular carrier proteins with different expression in the kidney. Liver-type FABP (L-FABP) is found in the cytoplasm of proximal tubules, whereas heart-type FABP (H-FABP) is localized in the distal tubules. We evaluated the urinary excretion of L-FABP and H-FABP in patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy (iMN).