title: Persistence of Vascular Calcification after Reversal of Uremia.
abstract: The extent to which vascular calcification is reversible and the possible mechanisms are unclear. To address this, calcified aortas from uremic mice were transplanted orthotopically into normal mice, and the calcium content, histology, and minerals of the allografts were compared with the nontransplanted donor aorta. Calcium content decreased immediately after transplantation but remained constant thereafter, with 68% ± 12% remaining after 34 weeks. X-ray diffraction showed the presence of apatite in both donor aortas and allografts. Osteoclasts were absent in the allografts and there was no expression of the macrophage marker CD11b, the osteoclast marker tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase, or carbonic anhydrase II. The initial loss of calcium was less in heavily calcified aortas and was associated with an increase in the Ca/P ratio from 1.49 to 1.63, consistent with a loss of nonapatitic calcium. The results indicate that vascular calcification persists after reversal of uremia, because of a lack of active resorption of apatite. This failure to resorb established calcifications may contribute to the severity of vascular calcification and suggests that therapy should be aimed at prevention.
authors.affiliation: Renal Division, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Koba A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Lomashvili
authors.affiliation: Renal Division, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Kelly E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Manning
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; Atlanta Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia.
authors.forename: M Neale
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Weitzmann
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Valentin
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nelea
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Marc D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: McKee
authors.affiliation: Renal Division, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia. Electronic address: woneill@emory.edu.
authors.forename: W Charles
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: O'Neill
mesh_terms: D064591:Allografts; D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D014511:Uremia / Q000150:complications*; D061205:Vascular Calcification / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*