The relationship between the soluble Klotho protein and the residual renal function among peritoneal dialysis patients

Background Klotho has been investigated as an antiaging protein that is predominantly expressed in the distal convoluted tubules in the kidneys and in the choroid plexus of the brain. The purpose of the present study was to determine the relationship between the soluble form of Klotho and renal function in chronic peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients, a relationship which remains poorly understood. Methods The soluble Klotho levels in the serum, urine, and peritoneal dialysate obtained from thirty-six PD patients were determined by a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay system. Results The amount of urinary excreted soluble Klotho over 24 h ranged from 1.54 to 1774.4 ng/day (median 303.2 ng/day; interquartile range [IR] 84.1-498.5), while the serum soluble Klotho concentration ranged from 194.4 to 990.4 pg/ml (mean 553.7 ± 210.4 pg/ml). The amount of urinary Klotho excretion was significantly correlated with residual renal function. However, there was no apparent correlation between the serum soluble Klotho levels and the residual renal function. Klotho was also detected in the 24-h dialysate collections. There was a significant correlation between the peritoneal Klotho excretion and the amount of albumin contained in the dialysate collections (r = 0.798, P<0.01). Conclusions The total amount of urinary excreted Klotho, but not the serum level of soluble Klotho, may be a potential biomarker for assessing the residual renal function among PD patients. Whether our findings are also valid for chronic kidney disease patients overall should therefore be evaluated in greater detail.