Serum Interleukin 13 Level in Steroid Sensitive Nephrotic Syndrome

Background: There are studies indicating the relationship between interleukin 13 and pathogenesis of nephrotic syndrome. Tofind this relationship, we measured serum IL13 concentration in acute and remission phases in children with steroid sensitive nephrotic syndrome. Methods: The serum of 15 patients was achieved for measurement of IL-13 in two phases: acute phase and remission phase. To this end, we used Biofarm ELIZA kites. Results: The mean concentration of serum IL-13 was 430 279 ng/mL (227 - 960 ng/mL) before starting steroid treatment. The mean concentration of serum IL-13 was 428 259 ng/mL (215.6 - 960 ng/mL) after 4 weeks of steroid treatment. The difference between pre and post treatment of serum IL-13 levels was not significant (P = 0.91). Conclusions: We showed serum IL13 does not significantly decrease after steroid treatment. Although the role of IL13 in increasing glomerular permeability has been shown in previous studies, the local IL13 may be more important than the systemic form. It also can be postulated that mediators other than IL13 also have primary roles in pathogenesis of proteinuria. However, we need more studies to determine the role of IL13 in the pathogenesis of nephrotic syndrome.