Relationship between plasma YKL-40 levels and endothelial dysfunction in chronic kidney disease

Abstract

Background/aim: We aimed to evaluate the relationship between YKL-40 and endothelial dysfunction in chronic kidney disease.Materials and methods: Twenty-nine hemodialysis patients, 101 patients with nondialytic (stage 2, 3, 4, and 5 ND) chronic kidneydisease (CKD), and 38 healthy individuals as a control group were included. YKL-40 levels were measured by ELISA. Endothelialdysfunction was indirectly measured by flow-mediated dilatation percentage (FMD) in the brachial artery.Results: YKL-40 levels were higher in CKD patients than controls and highest in HD patients (P = 0.001). FMD values were lower innondialytic CKD patients and lowest in HD patients (P = 0.001). YKL-40 negatively correlated with eGFR and FMD values (r = –0.674and r = –0.471, respectively).Conclusion: This study shows that YKL-40 increases with CKD stage and is negatively correlated with FMD measurements.