Levels of Procollagen Type I C-Terminal Pro-Peptide and Galectin-3, Arterial Stiffness Measured By Pulse Wave Velocity, and Cardiovascular Morbidity and Mortality in 44 Patients 2 Years After Kidney Transplantation

BACKGROUND Cardiovascular (CV) mortality remains high despite the improvement of kidney function after kidney transplantation. In heart failure (HF), high concentrations of biomarkers of fibrosis, related to cardiac and/or vascular impairment, are associated with CV outcomes, but their significance in kidney transplantation is still unclear. Our aim was to investigate the association of procollagen type I C-terminal pro-peptide (PICP) and galectin-3 (Gal-3), markers of fibrosis, with arterial stiffness measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV) and CV morbi-mortality in kidney transplantation recipients from the prospective monocenter TRANSARTE study (Transplantation and Arteries), which compared the evolution of arterial stiffness in transplanted patients and patients remained on dialysis. MATERIAL AND METHODS PICP and Gal-3 were measured at 2 years after transplantation in 44 kidney transplantation patients. Spearman's rank-order correlation analysis was conducted to assess the relationship between biomarkers and PWV. Association of biomarkers with CV morbi-mortality was evaluated using Cox regression analysis adjusted for age, renal function, and PWV. RESULTS There was no significant correlation between PWV and PICP (r=-0.16, P=0.3) or Gal-3 (r=0.03, P=0.85). Gal-3, after adjusting for key prognostic factors, including PWV, was significantly associated with CV morbi-mortality [HR (95% CI)=4.30 (1.01-18.22), P=0.048], whereas PICP was not significantly associated with outcome. CONCLUSIONS In multivariable adjusted analysis, elevated Gal-3 concentrations were associated with CV morbi-mortality in kidney transplantation patients, whereas PICP was not. As Gal-3 was not related to PWV, other sources of fibrosis (eg, cardiac fibrosis) may be underlying the prognostic value of Gal-3 in kidney transplantation.