Correlation between circulating dephosphorylated uncarboxylated matrix Gla protein and vascular calcification in peritoneal dialysis patients

Abstract Objectives Peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients are prone to develop vascular calcification (VC), which increases the all-cause mortality in PD patients. Dephosphorylated uncarboxylated matrix Gla protein (dp-ucMGP) is the inactive form of matrix Gla protein (MGP), and MGP is considered as a potent inhibitor of VC. This study is to explore the association between serum dp-ucMGP and abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) in PD patients. Methods A total 128 PD patients and 120 healthy controls were enrolled into the study. Serum dp-ucMGP was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Lateral plain X-ray films of abdomen were used to evaluate the abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) score (AACS). PD patients were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of AAC. The relationships between dp-ucMGP levels and AACS were assessed by Spearman analysis and the value of dp-ucMGP in predicting AAC was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC). Results Serum dp-ucMGP in PD patients were significantly higher than controls. And PD patients with AAC had higher serum dp-ucMGP than that of PD patients without AAC. In 128 PD patients, higher dp-ucMGP was associated with greater risk of present AAC (OR = 2.554, 95%CI 1.415–4.609). The area under ROC curve of dp-ucMGP was 0.9227, the corresponding sensitivity was 0.86, and the specificity was 0.92. Conclusion Serum dp-ucMGP levels were positively associated with the AACS in PD patients. Higher serum dp-ucMGP level is independently associated with AAC in PD patients.