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Updated: Jun 11, 2025
A Semi-Automated and Reproducible Biological-Based Method to Quantify Calcium Deposition In Vitro
Published on: June 2, 2022
Current Understanding of Cardiovascular Calcification in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease
Sijie Chen1, Rining Tang1, Bicheng Liu1
1Institute of Nephrology, Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China.
Insights
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) increases cardiovascular calcification (CVC) risk. Understanding CVC progression is crucial for early diagnosis, prevention, and improved patient outcomes in CKD.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Cardiology
- Biomedical Science
Background:
- Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a growing global health concern.
- Cardiovascular calcification (CVC), a common CKD complication, significantly elevates patient morbidity and mortality.
- CVC involves abnormal calcium and phosphate deposition, primarily hydroxyapatite, affecting vascular cells.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current understanding of cardiovascular calcification progression in chronic kidney disease.
- To highlight the complex mechanisms underlying CVC, including metabolic, inflammatory, and cellular pathways.
- To emphasize the urgent need for improved CVC diagnosis, prevention, and treatment strategies in CKD patients.
Main Methods:
- This review synthesizes current scientific literature on CKD-related cardiovascular calcification.
- It examines the cellular and molecular mechanisms driving CVC progression.
- Key signaling pathways (Notch, STAT, JAK) and biological processes (autophagy, micro-RNAs) are discussed.
Main Results:
- CVC is an osteogenic process driven by dysregulated calcium-phosphate metabolism, inflammation, and cellular changes.
- Multiple cellular players, including smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells, contribute to CVC.
- Complex signaling pathways and biological mechanisms are implicated in CVC development.
Conclusions:
- Despite advances in therapy, CKD-associated CVC remains a significant challenge.
- Early diagnosis and effective prevention of CVC are critical public health priorities.
- Further research into CVC mechanisms is essential for developing better treatments and improving patient quality of life.
Abstract:
The burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing, posing a serious threat to human health. Cardiovascular calcification (CVC) is one of the most common manifestations of CKD, which significantly influences the morbidity and mortality of patients. The manifestation of CVC is an unusual accumulation of mineral substances containing calcium and phosphate. The main component is hydroxyapatite. Many cells are involved in this process, such as smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and endothelial cells. CVC is an osteogenic process initiated by complex mechanisms such as metabolic disorders of calcium and phosphorus minerals, inflammation, extracellular vesicles, autophagy, and micro-RNAs with a variety of signaling pathways like Notch, STAT, and JAK. Although drug therapy and dialysis technology continue to advance, the survival time and quality of life of CVC patients still face challenges. Therefore, early diagnosis and prevention of CKD-related CVC, reducing its mortality rate, and improving patients' quality of life have become urgent issues in the field of public health. In this review, we try to summarize the state-of-the-art understanding of the progression of CVC and hope that it will help in the prevention and treatment of CVC in CKD.
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