In conclusion, the pathological glomerular endothelial cell lesions were associated with FPW and the VEGF-endothelin-1 system might play a critical role in the endothelial cell-podocyte crosstalk in LN.
For urine measurements there were significant differences between active LN and non-renal SLE for VEGF ( p = 0.016), after statistical correction for multiple testing.
The pattern of renal VEGF-A splice variants was unchanged in diabetic nephropathy and lupus nephritis and was stable throughout disease progression in acute transplant rejection and diabetic nephropathy; these results suggest renal VEGF-A splicing stability during kidney disease.
However, the +405 GG was significantly associated with lupus nephritis (LN) patients with low VEGF mRNA expression and LN with end-stage renal disease.
Our study shows that expression of VEGF in renal tissue may serve as a molecular marker of renal damage and may be a predictive factor for short-term loss of kidney function in patients with LN.