#AI reads Urine#Elevation of urinary alpha-1-antitrypsin and transferrin excretion in children of patients with nephrolithiasis
Published 11 January, 2026
This study aimed to investigate whether children of nephrolithiasis (kidney stone) patients have abnormal urinary proteins and whether these abnormalities can serve as early warning indicators for kidney stone risk. A total of 146 participants were enrolled and divided into four groups: the nephrolithiasis patient group, the healthy volunteer group, the children of nephrolithiasis patients group (high-risk children group), and the children of healthy volunteers group (normal children group). All participants were asked to collect 24-hour urine samples. First, the study analyzed differences in urinary proteins between the high-risk children group and the normal children group, then verified the excretion of five proteins potentially associated with nephrolithiasis across all groups, and also examined the correlation between these proteins and the urinary supersaturation index (which reflects the risk of stone formation in urine). The results showed that both nephrolithiasis patients and their children had higher total urinary protein excretion than healthy individuals and their children. Compared with the normal children group, the high-risk children group had 26 proteins with increased excretion and 2 proteins with decreased excretion. Among the five key verified proteins, three showed significant changes: alpha-1-microglobulin/bikunin precursor (AMBP), alpha-1-antitrypsin, and transferrin were significantly higher in nephrolithiasis patients and their children than in healthy individuals; fetuin-A was only different between the children groups (higher in the high-risk children group than in the normal children group) but showed no difference between nephrolithiasis patients and healthy adults; adiponectin showed no significant difference across all groups. A key finding was that the excretion levels of alpha-1-antitrypsin and transferrin were correlated with the urinary supersaturation index. The study concluded that although children of nephrolithiasis patients have not developed kidney stones, they are already in a state prone to stone formation, and alpha-1-antitrypsin and transferrin can be used as early warning indicators to assess urinary supersaturation and kidney stone risk in this high-risk population.
Asian Biomed (Res Rev News). 2025 Oct 31;19(5):303-313. doi: 10.2478/abm-2025-0032.
Youhe Gao
Statement: During the preparation of this work the author(s) used Doubao / AI reading for summarizing the content. After using this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the content of the published article.
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