Correlative Interactions Between Visfatin and Inflammatory Biomarkers for Chronic Kidney Disease

The life expectancy of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is significantly reduced due to premature death from cardiovascular disease (CVD) in more than 50% of this patient population. Impaired of renal function may lead to an increase in general inflammatory reactions due to a decrease in renal clearance of factors that are directly or indirectly involved in inflammation. Thus, the presence of even minor renal dysfunction is considered a significant risk factor for subsequent CVD and death. Axelsson et al., in 2007, for the first time reported an increase in serum levels of visfatin in CKD, and several other studies later supported this link. In addition, Axelsson et al. found that visfatin is associated with soluble vascular adhesion molecule-1, which is a biomarker for endothelial damage in CKD. Proteinuria, in turn, is an important predictor of endothelial dysfunction (ED) in diabetic nephropathy. An association between proteinuria and visfatin levels has been discussed. Significant progress has been made so far in identifying the association of visfatin with visceral adipose tissue, diabetes mellitus, and inflammation, but further studies are needed to confirm an increase in its levels in patients with CKD.