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. 2018 Jan;50(1):121-125.
doi: 10.1007/s11255-017-1741-5. Epub 2017 Nov 13.

Zonulin, inflammation and iron status in patients with early stages of chronic kidney disease

Ewelina Lukaszyk  1 , Mateusz Lukaszyk  2 , Ewa Koc-Zorawska  1 , Anna Bodzenta-Lukaszyk  2 , Jolanta Malyszko  3
Affiliations

Zonulin, inflammation and iron status in patients with early stages of chronic kidney disease

Ewelina Lukaszyk et al. Int Urol Nephrol. 2018 Jan.

Abstract

Background/aims: Zonulin is the only known regulator of intestinal permeability. It is also considered as a potential inflammatory marker in several conditions such as diabetes and inflammatory bowel syndrome. The aim of the study was to investigate zonulin levels in patients with early stages of CKD and its possible correlation with inflammation, anemia and iron status parameters.

Methods: Eighty-eight patients with early stages of CKD and 23 healthy volunteers were enrolled in the study. Zonulin, hepcidin-25, soluble transferrin receptor, interleukin-6 and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein were measured using commercially available assays.

Results: Zonulin was significantly lower among patients with CKD in comparison with healthy volunteers. There were no statistically significant differences in zonulin concentration between patients with and without inflammation. Zonulin was significantly correlated with hepcidin only in patients with inflammation. Zonulin was neither related to iron nor related to ferritin.

Conclusions: Zonulin cannot be considered as an inflammatory marker in CKD. It does not play a role in the disturbances of iron metabolism in CKD. Its physiological role remains to be elucidated.

Keywords: Chronic kidney disease; Hepcidin; Inflammation; Iron; Zonulin.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Zonulin concentrations in CKD patients. One-way ANOVA, F(3, 84) = 0.62 p = 0.85 vs control group F(4,1050) = 3.26, p = 0.014
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Correlation between zonulin and hepcidin in patients with CKD and inflammation, r = − 0.37
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Correlation between hepcidin-25 and sTfR in patients with CKD, r = − 0.41
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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