Serum Complement C3 Predicts Renal Arteriolosclerosis in Non-Diabetic Chronic Kidney Disease

Abstract

Aim: Complement C3 (C3) is one of the major mediators of inflammation. Serum C3 has been shown to be correlated with the presence of atherosclerosis. We examined whether the serum C3 level might be correlated with the severity of renal arteriolosclerosis in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Methods: Non-diabetic CKD (stages 1-3) patients who underwent renal biopsy were enrolled in this study. Renal arteriolosclerosis was defined by the presence of hyaline changes and vessel wall thickening in the renal biopsy specimens. We examined whether the serum C3 level might be correlated with the severity of renal arteriolosclerosis in CKD patients.
Results: A total of 208 CKD patients (age 36.0±13.6 years; 94 male) who underwent renal biopsy were included. Univariate analysis showed that the serum C3 level was positively correlated with age, body mass index, blood pressure and the serum triglyceride, LDL cholesterol and CRP (p<0.001). The serum C3 level was also inversely correlated with serum HDL cholesterol (p<0.001). Multiple regression analysis identified that the serum C3 (p=0.043) as well as age (p<0.001), serum uric acid (p=0.009) and eGFR (p= 0.025) were independently associated with the severity of renal arteriolosclerosis.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that the serum C3 level is a reliable marker of renal arteriolosclerosis. Components of metabolic syndrome were also correlated with the serum C3 level. Inflammation or metabolic syndrome may contribute to CKD through influencing the rate of progression of renal arteriolosclerosis.