title: From chronic kidney disease to transplantation: the roles of obestatin.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Kidney transplantation is the therapy of choice in most cases of end stage renal disease. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate serum obestatin levels in kidney transplant recipients (Tx), compare levels in patients with renal failure (CKD) with those in healthy subjects (HS), and to assess the role of this hormone in energetic metabolism.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 95 subjects were studied: 40 were Tx; 35 had CKD and 20 were HS. Inclusion criteria were age>18years and good allograft function. Patients with an inflammatory disease or a diagnosis of cancer were excluded from the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Obestatin levels in Tx patients were significantly lower than in HS (3.5 [3-4.8] versus 11 [8.56-28.60] ng/mL; p<0.0001) and patients with CKD (3.5 [3-4.8] versus 4.7 [3, 5-6, 1] ng/mL; p=0.008). At univariate analysis, a direct correlation was found between obestatin and calcemia (p: 0.0001; r: 0.51), phosphoremia (p: 0.0005; r: 0, 46), calcium-phosphate product (p<0.0001; r:0.53), and parathormone (p: 0.01; r: 0.32), whereas significant inverse correlations were evidenced for BMI (p<0.0001; r: -0.52). At multivariate analysis, significance was maintained for the correlation between obestatin and phosphoremia (β=0.47; p=0.008), for the calcium-phosphate product (β=0.55; p=0.0005) and for BMI (β=-0.53; p=0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Obestatin, present in lower levels in Tx patients than in CKD patients and HS, plays a role in energy metabolism, affecting BMI and the metabolism of calcium-phosphorus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lacquaniti
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Donato
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chirico
authors.forename: Giuseppina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pettinato
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buemi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000601:surgery*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000378:metabolism; D013223:Statistics as Topic
chemical_list: D054439:Ghrelin; D010758:Phosphorus; D002118:Calcium