INCREASED URINARY ENDOTHELIN-1-LIKE IMMUNOREACTIVITY EXCRETION IN NIDDM PATIENTS WITH ALBUMINURIA

OBJECTIVE - To determine the urinary endothelin-1-like immunoreactivity (ET-1-LI) in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) patients and to investigate whether urinary ET-1-LI excretion is elevated in patients with albuminuria. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - Urinary ET-1-LI substance was determined by radioimmunoassay in 45 normoalbuminuric and 28 albuminuric NIDDM patients. RESULTS - The mean amounts of 24-h ET-1-LI excretion in NIDDM patients with normoalbuminuria and albuminuria were 154.9 +/- 13.5 and 174.4 +/- 12.9 ng/day, respectively. The latter was significantly higher than that of the 40 normal control subjects (111.8 +/- 7.9 ng/day, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS - The increase in urinary ET-1-LI substance excretion in patients with albuminuria suggests that ET-1 may be a pathogenetic factor in diabetic nephropathy.