Relationship between fibroblast growth factor-23 in peripheral blood and vascular calcification in maintenance hemodialysis patients

Objective To study the relationship between plasma FGF-23 level and peripheral vascular calcification(VC) in patients treated with maintenance hemodialysis(MHD).Methods A total of 22 patients treated with maintenance hemodialysisfor for more than 3 years with a wrist primary radial artery-cephalic vein arteriovenous fistula(AVF) as the vascular access were included in this study(MHD group).Samples of radial artery were collected from these patients during the reconstruction of the inadequate AVF.Ten abdominal aorta samples collected from cadaveric kidney donors were used as controls(control group).Von Kossa histochemistry served as the qualitative indicator of VC,and cresolphthalein complexone chemical method served as the quantification of VC. Alkaline phosphatase(ALP) activity assay was performed following the manual of the assay kit,and FGF-23 level was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.The relationship between FGF-23 and VC in MHD patients was analyzed.Results Calcium content in vascular smooth muscle cells(VSMCs),ALP activity and FGF- 23 level in peripheral blood were significantly higher in MHD group than in control group(P0.01).In MHD group, FGF-23 level in peripheral blood was positively correlated to calcium content in VMSCs and ALP activity(P0.01). Conclusion VC is extensively presented in MHD patients,accompanied by the increase of serum FGF-23.FGF23 level is positively correlated to VC in MHD patients.These results imply that the increase of plasma FGF-23 may be involved in the pathogenesis of VC,and may be an important early warning indicator to MHD patients.