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 microg/l) compared with subjects with a GFR >50 ml/min (254.3 microg/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.