Association between serum beclin 1 level and cardiac valvular calcification in hemodialysis patients

Hayam Ahmed Hebah; Hadeer Moamen Kamel; Islam Mahmoud Bastawy; Fatma Abdelrahman Ahmed

doi:10.1016/j.cpcardiol.2024.102519

Association between serum beclin 1 level and cardiac valvular calcification in hemodialysis patients

Curr Probl Cardiol. 2024 May;49(5):102519. doi: 10.1016/j.cpcardiol.2024.102519. Epub 2024 Mar 16.

Authors

Hayam Ahmed Hebah¹, Hadeer Moamen Kamel¹, Islam Mahmoud Bastawy², Fatma Abdelrahman Ahmed³

Affiliations

¹ Ain Shams University, Faculty of Medicine, Internal Medicine, And Nephrology Department. Cairo, Egypt.
² Ain Shams University, Faculty of Medicine, Cardiology Department, Egypt.
³ Ain Shams University, Faculty of Medicine, Internal Medicine, And Nephrology Department. Cairo, Egypt. Electronic address: fatmagouda@med.asu.edu.eg.

PMID: 38492612
DOI: 10.1016/j.cpcardiol.2024.102519

Abstract

Background: Cardiovascular calcification is a pervasive issue throughout chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression. Autophagy, a fundamental cellular process, exerts significant influence on various cardiac pathologies, including arrhythmias, atherosclerosis, heart failure, and notably, valvular, and vascular calcifications. Beclin-1, a crucial eukaryotic protein, plays a major regulatory role in autophagy as part of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) complex. Recent evidence suggests a protective role for Beclin-1-mediated autophagy in CKD vascular calcification, raising its potential as a novel therapeutic target in this context.

We aimed to: Investigate the association between serum Beclin 1 levels and the presence of cardiovascular valvular calcification in hemodialysis patients.

Results: This study evaluated a cohort of 102 hemodialysis patients, evenly divided into two groups based on echocardiographic findings. All participants underwent serum Beclin 1 measurement and transthoracic echocardiography. Patients with acute kidney injury, active malignancy, or diabetes were excluded. Our study revealed significant differences between the two groups in terms of: Serum Beclin 1 levels, all parameters of lipid profile, prevalence of ischemic heart disease, serum albumin levels and Total calcium. Echocardiography in Group 1 showed that most cases (60.78%) exhibited mild aortic valve calcification. Additionally, significant relationships were observed between Beclin 1 and: ischemic heart disease (p=0.011) Aortic valve calcification on echocardiography (p < 0.001) Interestingly, lower Beclin 1 levels were associated with more severe valve calcification. A Beclin 1 cutoff value of ≤ 35.5 ng/ml demonstrated the highest sensitivity (98%) and specificity (92%).

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the serum Beclin 1 level could be incorporated into a predictive model for cardiac valvular calcification in hemodialysis patients.

Keywords: Autophagy; Beclin 1; CKD; Hemodialysis; Valvular calcification.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Aortic Valve / pathology*
Aortic Valve Stenosis*
Beclin-1
Calcinosis*
Heart Valve Diseases* / epidemiology
Humans
Myocardial Ischemia*
Renal Dialysis / adverse effects
Renal Insufficiency, Chronic* / complications
Renal Insufficiency, Chronic* / therapy

Substances

Beclin-1

Supplementary concepts

Aortic Valve, Calcification of