Validation of Urinary CXCL10 As a Marker of Borderline, Subclinical, and Clinical Tubulitis

Validation of Urinary CXCL10 As a Marker of Borderline, Subclinical, and Clinical Tubulitis: Background. Renal allograft injury secondary to subclinical and clinical tubulitis remains an important cause of allograft fibrosis and loss despite modern immunosuppression. The goal of this study was to validate the previously reported use of urinary CXCL10 (interferon-[gamma]-induced protein of 10 kDa) as a noninvasive marker of tubulitis in an independent clinical cohort.
Methods. Urine samples (n=102) from 91 patients with protocol or indication biopsies were assayed for urinary CXCL10 using ELISA. The groups analyzed were as follows: normal histology (n=22); interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IFTA) (n=20); IFTA and borderline tubulitis (n=13); borderline (n=13), subclinical (n=17); and clinical tubulitis (n=17) without IFTA.