About Collagen IV as a Biomarker

Urinary Collagen IV

Type IV collagen (IV•C), is a major component of the basement membrane (BM), and it is considered to constitute its basic framework.Urinary collagen IV levels are elevated in a variety of renal pathologies, particularly diabetic nephropathy. Urinary collagen IV is significantly higher in patients with non-insulin dependent diabetic mellitus (NIDDM) than in normal subjects and urinary collagen IV levels correlate with the deposition of collagen IV in the kidney. In diabetic subjects, urinary collagen IV is significantly increased in patients with microalbuminuria or overt proteinuria as compared to those with normoalbuminuria. Moreover, in diabetics with normoalbuminuria, those with elevated urinary collagen IV were at an increased risk for progression to microalbuminuria. Intensive therapy of diabetic nephropathy can slow the temporal increase in urinary collagen IV in diabetics indicating the potential of urinary collagen IV for studying the renal effects of new therapies. These results suggest that the measurement of UIV•C might provide a useful biomarker for studying diabetic nephropathy.
In the field of renal transplantation, renal collagen IV levels are increased and increased urinary collagen IV levels are found in acute renal rejection, indicating the potential value of urinary collagen IV in studying these conditions.

Serum Collagen IV

Chronic liver disease comprises a number of progressive disorders which culminate in liver cirrhosis and which are characterized by excessive deposition of collagen.
Although various types of collagen (type I, III, IV, V and VI) increase in the liver with the progression of fibrosis, type IV collagen, a constituent of the basement membrane, is particularly noteworthy for the following reasons: its serum level correlates with hepatic levels of collagen IV, serum levels of collagen IV fall in response to effective therapy and it is the earliest type of collagen to be synthesized during experimental liver injury. Serum collagen IV levels are elevated in a variety of liver diseases, in particular, serum collagen levels have been found to be predictive of therapy response in Hepatitis C infection, and to be sensitive indicators of therapy response in abstaining alcoholics.

References

For references see our publications section, here