Correlation between shear wave velocity of renal parenchyma and TGF-β1 in chronic allograft nephropathy

Objective To evaluate the change of shear wave velocity (SWV) of renal parenchyma and serum level of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) in the patients with chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN), and further evaluate the correlation between them. Methods A total of 60 patients with chronic allograft nephropathy confirmed by renal biopsy were selected and divided into three groups according to the degree of interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy of the transplanted kidney: group C1 (renal cortex involvement 50%, n=20). 30 renal transplant recipients with normal renal function were enrolled for control group. The SWV of the renal were measured by virtual touch tissue quantification (VTQ) and the serum level of TGF-β1 were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in each group. Results Compared with control group, the SWV and serum TGF-β1 in case groups were significantly higher (P<0.05). SWV measured values: group C3 was the highest, group C2 was middle one and group C1 was the lowest (P<0.05). Statistically significant difference in serum TGF-β1 was observed among these three groups (P<0.05). The renal SWV and serum TGF-β1 had a significant positive correlation (r=0.631, P<0.05). Conclusions Both renal SWV and serum TGF-β1 increase as CAN progressed, which have high value in the diagnosis and treatment of CAN. Key words: Kidney transplantation; Kidney diseases; Ultrasonography, doppler, color; Transforming growth factor beta1