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Endocrine Abstracts (2014) 35 P192 | DOI: 10.1530/endoabs.35.P192

1Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria; 2Institute of Pathology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria; 3Division of Transplantation Surgery, Department of Surgery, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria; 4Joanneum Research Health, Graz, Austria.


Background: Calcification occurs physiologically in bone and pathophysiologically in the vasculature. Cardiovascular diseases are among the most common causes of death within patients with chronic kidney disease and crucial for kidney transplantation (RTX) outcomes.

Methods and aim: We investigated the pattern and the onset of expression of regulators of calcification (RC) in the arteria iliaca externa in 26 donors (D) and 25 recipients (R) of RTX to identify differences between atherosclerosis (AS) and media sclerosis (MS), suggesting specific differences in these patient groups.

Gene expression of RC was performed using TaqMan gene expression assays with a LC480 system. Determination of calcification type in donors (AS) was done histologically; in recipients (MS) via computed tomography (CT) by applying a score ranging from 0 to 3 in 0.5 intervals. Classification of stages in donors and recipients: 0 (no calcification of vessels), 1 (AS: intima thickening, MS: CT score 0.5), 2 (AS: intima calcification, MS: CT scores 1–3).

Results: Gene expression of OPG, OPN, RANKL, SMAD6, RunX2 and BSP was significantly higher in donors than in recipients (P=0.004, 0.001, 0.004, 0.026, 0.027 and 0.068 respectively).

But gene expression did not significantly differ in unaffected D and R at stage 0. In early stages of AS, OPG expression increased, whereas expression in early MS was unchanged. In progressive calcification, expression of OPG, OPN and SMAD6 was significantly higher (P=0.048, 0.024, 0.048 respectively) in D (AS) than in R (MS); and of RANKL and RunX2 (P=0.089, 0.085 respectively) only borderline higher. AS and MS were compared separately.

Conclusion: We were able to demonstrate a different gene expression pattern in AS and MS and a different onset of calcification. This supports a more comprehensive insight in calcification mechanisms.

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