Abstract
Annexin V (AnV) belongs to a cytoplasmic calcium binding protein family found in many body tissues, including distal tubule cells and glomerular epithelial cells. The biological role of this protein discovered so far is connected with apoptosis. AnV is considered as an early marker of that process and is used in one of the most frequently applied apoptosis detection methods, consisting in the detection of biochemical and morphological changes in cells. Measuring the AnV level may help understand many renal processes. Elevated AnV levels have been found in both acute and chronic renal conditions. Applying AnV to identify cells in the early phase of apoptosis in acute pyelonephritis caused by Escherichia coli showed that hemolysins of pathogenic bacteria stimulate the death of tubular cells and that the intensification of the process depends on the level of the toxin and its activity time. Studies on the mechanisms of reperfusion injury in acute renal injury have revealed protective activity of a synthetic AnV homodimer with regard to tubular cells. AnV was also used in diabetic nephropathy to study the influence of metabolic disorders on the intensification of apoptosis in renal tubular cells. Additionally, the suitability of AnV measurement as a biochemical marker of atherosclerosis in patients with a chronic renal condition was evaluated. It was also used to study the causes of immunodeficiency in patients diagnosed with the above-mentioned condition. There have been few papers published so far on the significance of AnV in children with renal conditions. The prognostic value of AnV and T cell apoptosis was evaluated in children with nephrotic syndrome.
