Role of Sclerostin in Vascular Calcification in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease and Renal Transplantation

Sclerostin is a 22-kDa glycoprotein encoded by the SOST gene. This glycoprotein is almost exclusively synthesized by osteocytes that are not present near the bone surface but lie in the mineralized cortical and cancellous bone (3).

Sclerostin can exert its inhibitory effects on bone formation by not only inhibiting proliferation, differentiation and function of osteoblast cells but also facilitating their apoptosis(4).

Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway participates in bone homeostasis and diseases.(5,6) But beyond that, many lines of evidence derived from cell cultures and animal studies indicate that this signalling pathway plays a prominent role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and vascular calcification(VC) (7-10).

Serum sclerostin levels in CKD patients are remarkably higher than those in the normal population, with their values increasing across the CKD stages(4,11).

However; the studies on the association of serum sclerostin with VC and mortality in renal disease patients have yielded conflicting results. Some investigations showed a positive correlation, whereas others suggested no or even negative correlation(12).