Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a significant risk factor for developing chronic kidney disease and progression to end-stage renal disease in elderly patients. AKI is also a relatively common complication after kidney transplantation (KTx) associated with graft failure. Since the lifespan of a transplanted kidney is limited, the risk of the loss/deterioration of graft function (DoGF) should be estimated to apply the preventive treatment. The collection of saliva and urine is more convenient than collecting blood and can be performed at home. The study aimed to verify whether non-invasive biomarkers, determined in saliva and urine, may be useful in the prediction of DoGF in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) (n = 92). Salivary and serum toxins (p-cresol sulfate, pCS; indoxyl sulfate, IS) concentrations were determined using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Urinary proteins, hemoglobin, and glucose were measured using a semi-quantitative strip test. Salivary IS (odds ratio (OR) = 1.19), and proteinuria (OR = 3.69) were demonstrated as independent factors for the prediction of DoGF. Satisfactory discriminatory power (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) = 0.71 ± 0.07) and calibration of the model were obtained. The model showed that categories of the increasing probability of the risk of DoGF are associated with the decreased risk of graft survival. The non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers are a useful screening tool to identify high-risk patients for DoGF.
Keywords: LC-MS; chronic kidney disease; diagnostic biomarkers; indoxyl sulfate; proteinuria; renal replacement therapy; saliva; uremic toxicity; urine.