Dickkopf-3 (DKK3) in Urine Identifies Patients with Short-Term Risk of eGFR Loss

The individual course of CKD may vary, and improved methods for identifying which patients will experience short-term eGFR loss are needed. Assessing urinary Dickkopf-3 (DKK3), a stress-induced tubular epithelia-derived profibrotic glycoprotein, may provide information about ongoing tubulointerstitial fibrosis and short-term eGFR loss.

To investigate urinary DKK3's potential as a biomarker of short-term eGFR loss (over 12 months), we prospectively assessed eGFR and urinary DKK3 levels in patients with CKD of various etiologies at baseline and annual follow-ups. We also measured urinary DKK3 in a general population sample and patients with diagnostic kidney biopsies or IgA nephropathy under treatment.

Median urinary DKK3-to-creatinine concentration at baseline was significantly higher in patients with CKD than the general population sample (431 versus 33 pg/mg). In the CKD cohort, having a urinary DKK3-to-creatinine level >4000 pg/mg was independently and significantly associated after multiple adjustments with mean annual decline in eGFR of 7.6% over 12 months. Urinary DKK3 significantly improved prediction of kidney function decline compared with eGFR or albuminuria alone. Urinary DKK3-to-creatinine levels were related to the extent of tubulointerstitial fibrosis in kidney biopsies. In patients with IgA nephropathy, a rise in urinary DKK3 was associated with significant eGFR decline within 6 months, whereas stable or decreasing urinary DKK3 indicated a more favorable course.

Urinary DKK3 levels identify patients at high risk for eGFR decline over the next 12 months regardless of the cause of kidney injury and beyond established biomarkers, potentially providing a tool to monitor CKD progression and assess effects of interventions.