Abstract
Background: Oxidative stress (OS) is implicated in the pathogenesis of various chronic inflammatory diseases, including polycystic kidney disease (PKD). While there are indications of OS involvement in PKD development, conclusive evidence is lacking. This study aimed to investigate Thiol-disulfide homeostasis (TDH), a closely related marker to OS, in PKD patients with different renal functions.
Methods: A cross-sectional cohort study included 140 participants divided into four groups: ADPKD with eGFR > 60 ml/min/1.73m2 (PKD), ADPKD with eGFR < 60 ml/min/1.73m2 (PKD_CKD), chronic kidney disease unrelated to diabetes or ADPKD (CKD), and healthy controls (HC). Serum for TDH evaluation was collected after an 8-hour fast. Routine metabolic parameters were assessed, and TDH parameters were determined using the automated photometric Erel method.
Results: No significant differences were observed between groups in age, sex, BMI, and smoking, except the PKD group had a significantly higher proportion of males than the other groups. Serum TTHIOL and NTHIOL levels were significantly higher in PKD_CKD compared to CKD (p=0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). Serum disulfide values showed no significant differences between PKD_CKD and CKD (p=0.464) or between PKD and HC (p=0.279).
Conclusions: Our study reveals altered OS through TDH in ADPKD patients with varying eGFR levels. Significantly higher TTHIOL and NTHIOL levels were found in ADPKD patients with eGFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m2 compared to non-diabetic CKD patients with similar eGFR. Additionally, a significant positive correlation was identified between TTHIOL levels and eGFR values.