Nephrotic syndrome–causes and new hope for treatment

New research has found that Angiopoietin-like 4 is increased in the podocytes of patients with nephrotic syndrome resulting in a reduction of the kidney's filtering ability. Loss of proteins through urine causes nephrotic syndrome. Other features of the disease include low levels of blood-protein, increased cholesterol, high triglycerides and swelling.

A research study found that inadequate amounts of sialic acid(a carb that affects adhesion) is not present in the angiopoietin-like 4 protein. Nephrotic syndrome includes diseases such as nephropathy in diabetics, minimal change disease, focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis and membranous nephropathy.

Attaching sialic acid precursor N-acetyl-D-mannosamine (ManNAc) decreased albuminuria by increased the sialylation of Angptl4.

Reference:

Podocyte-secreted angiopoietin-like-4 mediates proteinuria in glucocorticoid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome.
Clement LC, Avila-Casado C, Macé C, Soria E, Bakker WW, Kersten S, Chugh SS.
Glomerular Disease Therapeutics Laboratory, and Nephrology Research and Training Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA