Serum visfatin concentration and endothelial dysfunction in chronic kidney disease

Endothelial dysfunction (ED) is common in patients with moderate to advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD). Recently, visfatin, a protein with insulin-mimetic properties, was shown to be associated with sVCAM-1. Thus, we hypothesised that visfatin may be a marker of ED in CKD.

We studied 406 patients with different stages of non-diabetic CKD (50% males, 46 +/- 12 years), testing the relationship between flow-mediated dilatation (FMD), assessed by high resolution brachial ultrasonography, and plasma adiponectin and visfatin concentrations. Eighty healthy volunteers (50% males, 46 +/- 11 years) served as matched controls.

Compared to healthy controls, ED was observed in all stages of CKD (Stages 1-5) and correlated strongly with the reduction in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Whereas visfatin concentrations were found to be increased in all but CKD stages 1 and 2, adiponectin levels were found to be increased in all patients but CKD stage 1. Visfatin and adiponectin levels were strongly correlated with eGFR (rho = -0.62 and rho = -0.72, respectively, P < 0.001 for both). FMD levels were negatively correlated with both visfatin and adiponectin levels (rho = -0.53 and, rho = -0.57, respectively, P < 0.001 for both). In a multiple regression model, eGFR levels (Beta = 0.74, P < 0.001), visfatin (Beta = -0.15, P < 0.001), age (Beta = 0.06, P < 0.01), adiponectin (Beta = 0.09, P < 0.05), HOMA-IR (Beta = 0.07, P < 0.05) and hsCRP (Beta = -0.08, P < 0.05) were all found to be significantly related to FMD.

We conclude that the circulating levels of visfatin and adiponectin are associated with ED in all stages of CKD, independently of inflammation and insulin resistance.