Urinary adiponectin excretion is an early predictive marker of the decline of the renal function in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Aims: Since diabetes-associated kidney complication changes from diabetic nephropathy to diabetic kidney disease (DKD), more suitable biomarkers than urinary albumin are required. It has been hypothesized that urinary adiponectin (u-ADPN) is associated with the progression of DKD. We therefore evaluated the effectiveness of u-ADPN in predicting the decline of the renal function in patients with diabetes prior to end-stage renal disease.
Methods: An ultrasensitive immune complex transfer enzyme immunoassay (ICT-EIA) was used to measure total and high molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin separately. We evaluated the relationships between the creatinine-adjusted urinary total-ADPN and HMW-ADPN, albumin (UACR) and liver-type fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP) at baseline and the 2-year change of the estimated glomerular filtration rate (ΔeGFR).
Results: This 2-year prospective observational study included 201 patients with diabetes. These patients were divided into three groups according to their ΔeGFR: ≤-10 mL/min/1.73m ² , >-10 and ≤0 mL/min/1.73m ² , and >0 mL/min/1.73m ² . Jonckheere-Terpstra test showed that lower ΔeGFR was associated with higher u-HMW-ADPN (p = 0.045). In logistic regression analysis, u-HMW-ADPN was associated with ΔeGFR after adjusted age, sex, and basal eGFR.
Conclusion: Urinary HMW-ADPN could predict a declining renal function in patients with diabetes.
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