Serum Levels of the Adipokine Chemerin in Relation to Renal Function

OBJECTIVE - To investigate serum levels of the adipokine chemerin in patients on chronic hemodialysis (CD) as compared with control patients with a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) >50 ml/min. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - Chemerin was quantified by ELISA in control patients (n = 60) and CD patients (n = 60) and correlated with clinical and biochemical measures of renal function, glucose, and lipid metabolism, as well as inflammation, in both groups. RESULTS - Median serum chemerin levels were more than twofold higher in CD patients (542.2 mu g/l) compared with subjects with a GFR >50 ml/min (254.3 mu g/l) (P < 0.001). Furthermore, GFR, as assessed by the original Modification of Diet in Renal Disease formula, independently predicted circulating chemerin concentrations in Multiple regression analyses in both control patients (P < 0.05) and CD patients (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS - We demonstrate that markers of renal function are independently related to circulating chemerin levels.