ABSTRACT
Peritoneal dialysis (PD) causes structural and functional changes in the peritoneal membrane, which are attributed to local inflammatory process. This study assessed the presence of galectin-3 (Gal-3), a known inflammatory modulator, in dialysate effluent and correlated its levels with markers of inflammatory process. Gal-3 levels in serum and dialysate effluent were measured in prevalent PD patients on morning visits (n = 27) or during peritoneal equilibration tests (PET, n = 16), it association with clinical and laboratory parameters, including dialysate/plasma creatinine (D/P creatinine) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels was analysed. Gal-3 levels in dialysate effluent correlated with D/P creatinine (0.663, p = 0.005) and dialysate effluent IL-6 levels (0.674, p = 0.002), but not with serum Gal-3 levels or dialysis vintage. Patients who were high transporters had higher Gal-3 levels in dialysate effluent, as compared to lower transporters. In multivariate regression analysis, dialysate IL-6 level was the strongest predictor of dialysate Gal-3 levels. This study found Gal-3 in dialysate effluent correlated with D/P creatinine and dialysate IL-6 levels. These findings may imply that Gal-3 has a role in the intraperitoneal inflammatory process. However, this needs to be investigated further.
