N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase and Beta 2-microglobulin in Diabetic Nephropathy

Abstract

Urinary N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosminidase (NAG), serum and urinary beta 2-microglobulin (sBMG, uBMG) and urinary protein were measured in 103 diabetic patiens with or without clinical diabetic nephropathy.
The results obtained were as follows.
1) NAG which indicates active renal proximal tubular cell damage is thought to be the earliest manifestation of renal dysfunction in diabetic patient, followed by increase of urinary protein excretion and elevation of sBMG.
2) Studies on the ratio of uBMG to urinary protein and BMG clearanc to creatinine clearance reveal that renal tubular dysfunction exist in about 20 % of diabetic patients. And, high ocurrence of renal tubular dysfunction is noted in patients with marked urinary NAG activity.
3) A positive, good correlation is observed between sBMG and serum creatinine. Thus, sBMG is a reliable index for monitoring the progression of diabetic nephropathy.