Depleted TGF-β1 levels in end stage renal disease patients from North India

End stage renal disease is a clinical state that extends from chronic renal failure and is marked by an irreversible loss of renal function. TGF-β1 mediated renal fibrosis is a common pathology implicated in this form of kidney disease. In this study circulating protein and mRNA levels of TGF-β1 cytokine were investigated among ESRD patients and respective controls from North India. Physician diagnosed 192 ESRD patients, on hemodialysis, and 130 normal controls participated in the present study. TGF-β1 circulating levels were measured by ELISA and its expression was quantified using competitive-PCR. Mean TGF-β1 protein levels were 2.7-fold lower in ESRD patients as compared to normal controls (p < 0.001). Additionally, TGF-β1 mRNA transcripts of this cytokine were also significantly lower in the diseased population compared to controls (p < 0.001). These results imply that TGF-β1 has not played its anticipated pro-fibrotic role and anti-inflammatory function in the studied population.