sCD14 as a biomarker for the progression of kidney disease among patients with diabetes

Abstract

Aims

To investigate the association of soluble CD14 (sCD14) with diabetic kidney disease (DKD) and its prediction performance for kidney function staging.

Methods

A cross-sectional study of 80 type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients was conducted. Each participant was screened for DKD, and the diagnostic criterion for DKD was a glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 mL/min/1.73m². Serum sCD14 was measured by ELISA technique. Logistic regression models and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were used to assess the association of sCD14 with DKD and its predictive value for disease staging.

Results

sCD14 was higher in DKD patients than in T2D patients without kidney disease (p < 0.001). sCD14 was progressively higher in DKD patients according to the kidney function stage (p < 0.001). Also, sCD14 was higher in DKD patients in hemodialysis than those who did not receive renal replacement therapy (p < 0.001). In DKD patients, sCD14 was positively correlated with creatinine (r = 0.282, p = 0.042) and negatively correlated with eGFR (r = −0.365, p = 0.007). The levels of sCD14 were predictive of G3 (AUC = 0.822), G4 (AUC = 0.876), and G5 (AUC = 0.924) stages of kidney function. In a multivariate logistic regression model adjusted for age, sex, and diabetes duration, sCD14 ≥ 1720 ng/mL were associated with G3 stage (OR = 8.92, p = 0.023), G4 (OR = 7.92, p = 0.011) and G5 stage (OR = 18.47, p = 0.017) in DKD patients.

Conclusion

Circulating levels of sCD14 are associated with DKD and perform well for kidney function staging. Thus, it is a good candidate for assessing the risk of kidney disease progression.