**2.4 Vitamin D (25(OH)D)**

28 Chronic Kidney Disease

ion levels is sensed by the parathyroid calcium-sensing receptors (CaSRs) and subsequently regulates the synthesis and secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH) (Felsenfeld et al., 2007). PTH acts on the bone to increase the efflux of calcium and phosphate, and acts on the kidney to reduce urinary calcium excretion, inhibit phosphate reabsorption, and stimulate the production of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D). PTH is cleaved to an 84-amino-acid protein in the parathyroid gland, where it is stored with fragments in secretory granules for release. When it is released, the circulating 1–84-amino-acid protein has a half-life of 2–4 min. The hormone is cleaved both within the parathyroid gland and after secretion into the Nterminal, C-terminal, and middle region fragments of PTH, which are metabolized in the liver and in the kidneys. Enhanced PTH synthesis/secretion occurs in response to hypocalcemia, hyperphosphatemia, and/or a decrease in serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D), whereas high serum levels of calcium or calcitriol—and, as recently shown, of Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23)—suppress PTH synthesis/secretion. The extracellular concentration of ionized calcium is the most important determinant of the minute-to-minute secretion of

In patients with CKD, this normal oscillation is somehow altered. Over the past few decades there has been a progress in development of sensitive assays in order to measure PTH. Initial measurements of PTH using C-terminal assays were inaccurate in patients with CKD because of the impaired renal excretion of C-terminal fragments (and thus retention) and the measurement of these probably inactive fragments. The development of the N-terminal assay was initially thought to be more accurate but it also detected inactive metabolites. The development of a second generation of PTH assays, the two-site immunoradiometric assay—commonly called an 'intact PTH' assay—improved the detection of full-length (active) PTH molecules. In this assay, a captured antibody binds within the amino terminus and a second antibody binds within the carboxy terminus. Unfortunately, recent data indicate that this 'intact' PTH assay also detects accumulated large C-terminal fragments, commonly referred to as '7–84' fragments; these are a mixture of four PTH fragments that include, and are similar in size to, 7–84 PTH (Gao and D'Amour 2005). In parathyroidectomized rats, the injection of a truly whole 1- to 84-amino-acid PTH was able to induce bone resorption, whereas the 7- to 84-amino-acid fragment was antagonistic, explaining why patients with CKD may have high levels of 'intact' PTH but relative hypoparathyroidism at the bone-tissue level (Slatopolsky et al., 2000; Malluche et al., 2003; Huan et al., 2006). Thus, the major difficulty in accurately measuring PTH with this assay is the presence of circulating fragments, particularly in the presence of CKD. Unfortunately, the different assays measure different types and amounts of these circulating fragments, leading to inconsistent results. More recently, a third generation of assays has become available that truly detect only the 1- to 84-amino-acid, full-length molecule: 'whole' or 'bioactive' PTH assays. There are differences in PTH results when samples are measured in plasma, serum, or citrate, and depending on whether the samples are on ice, or are allowed

PTH and vitamin D have been shown to influence cardiac and vascular growth and function experimentally in human subjects with normal renal function. Because of increased prevalence of hyperparathyroidism and altered vitamin D status in CKD, these alterations have been considered to contribute to the increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease

and hypertension seen in this patient population (Slinin Y et al., 2005).

PTH, which is normally oscillatory.

to sit at room temperature.

The parent compounds of vitamin D—D3 (cholecalciferol) or D2 (ergocalciferol)—are highly lipophilic. They are difficult to quantify in the serum or plasma. They also have a short halflife in circulation of about 24 h. These parent compounds are metabolized in the liver to 25(OH)D3 (calcidiol) or 25(OH)D2 (ercalcidiol). Collectively, they are called 25(OH)D or 25 hydroxyvitamin D. The measurement of serum 25(OH)D is regarded as the best measure of vitamin D status, because of its long half-life of approximately 3 weeks. In addition, it is an assessment of the multiple sources of vitamin D, including both nutritional intake and skin synthesis of vitamin D. There is a seasonal variation in calcidiol levels because of an increased production of cholecalciferol by the action of sunlight on skin during summer months. The gold standard of calcidiol measurement is high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), but this is not widely available clinically. This is because HPLC is time consuming, requires expertise and special instrumentation, and is expensive. In early 1985, Hollis and Napoli developed the first radioimmunoassay (RIA) for total 25(OH)D, which was co-specific for 25(OH)D2 and 25(OH)D3. The values correlated with those obtained from HPLC analysis, and DiaSorin RIA became the first test to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in clinical settings (Hollis and Napoli, 1985). Another method now carried out is liquid chromatography- tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Similar to HPLC, the LC-MS/MS method also has the ability to quantify 25(OH)D2 and 25(OH)D3 separately, which distinguishes it from RIA and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technologies. This method is very accurate and has been shown to correlate well with DiaSorin RIA (Saenger et al. 2006; Tsugawa et al., 2005). It has been suggested recently that the assays for 25(OH)D are not well standardized, and the definition of deficiency is not yet well validated. At best, clinicians should ensure that patients use the same laboratory for measurements of these levels, if carried out. The most appropriate vitamin D assays presently available seem to be those that measure both 25(OH)D2 and 25(OH)D3. Presently, approximately 20–50% of the general population has low vitamin D levels, irrespective of CKD status. However, the benefits from replacing vitamin D have not been documented in patients with CKD, particularly if they are taking calcitriol or a vitamin D analog.

### **2.5 Vitamin D (1,25(OH)2D)**

1,25(OH)2D is used to describe both hydroxylated D2 (ercalcitriol) and D3 (calcitriol) compounds, both of which have a short half-life of 4–6 h. Furthermore, in patients with earlier stages of CKD and in the general population, mild-to-moderate vitamin D deficiency, or partly treated vitamin D deficiency, is frequently associated with increased levels of 1,25(OH)2D. Thus, even accurate levels can be misleading. The serum levels of 1,25(OH)2D are uniformly low in late stages of CKD–MBD, at least in patients not treated with vitamin D derivatives (Andress et al., 2006). It has not been recommend a routine measurement of 1,25(OH)2D levels, as the assays are not well standardized, the half-life is short, and there are no data indicating that the measurement is helpful in guiding therapy or predicting outcomes (KDIGO).

#### **2.6 Alkaline phosphatases**

Alkaline phosphatases (ALP) are enzymes that remove phosphate from proteins and nucleotides, functioning optimally at alkaline pH. Measurement of the level of total ALP (t-

The New Kidney and Bone Disease:

**3.1.1 Bone turnover** 

**3.1.2 Bone mineralization** 

**3.1.3 Bone volume** 

**3.2 Bone markers** 

patophysiology:

1978).

Chronic Kidney Disease – Mineral and Bone Disorder (CKD–MBD) 31

whether treatments are effective. The traditional types of renal osteodystrophy have been defined on the basis of turnover and mineralization as follows: mild, slight increase in turnover and normal mineralization; osteitis fibrosa, increased turnover and normal mineralization; osteomalacia, decreased turnover and abnormal mineralization; adynamic, decreased turnover and acellularity; mixed, increased turnover with abnormal mineralization. It has been suggested recently that by performing bone biopsies in patients with CKD the most important parameters which should be determined are bone turnover,

In CKD patients a spectrum of bone formation rates varies from abnormally low to very high. Other measurements that help to define a low or high turnover (such as eroded surfaces, number of osteoclasts, fibrosis, or woven bone) tend to be associated with the bone-formation rate as measured by tetracycline labeling. This is the most definite dynamic measurement, hence it was chosen to represent bone turnover. It should be noted that an improvement of a bone biopsy cannot be determined on the basis of a simple change in the bone-formation rate, because the restoration of normal bone may require either an increase or a decrease in bone turnover, depending on the starting point (Melsen and Moselkilde,

It is a parameter which reflects the amount of unmineralized osteoid. Mineralization is measured by the osteoid maturation time or by mineralization lag time, both of which depend heavily on the osteoid width as well as on the distance between tetracycline labels. The classic disease with an abnormality of mineralization is osteomalacia, in which the bone-formation rate is low and the osteoid volume is high. Some patients have a modest increase in osteoid, which is a result of high bone formation rates. They do not have osteomalacia because the mineralization lag time remains normal. The overall

Bone volume contributes to bone fragility and is separate from the other parameters. The bone volume is the end result of changes in bone-formation and resorption rates: if the overall bone formation rate is higher than the overall bone resorption rate, the bone is in positive balance and the bone volume will increase. If mineralization remains constant, an increase in bone volume would also result in an increase in BMD and should be detectable by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Although both cortical and cancellous bone volumes decrease in typical idiopathic osteoporosis, these compartments are frequently different in patients with CKD. In dialysis patients with high PTH levels, the cortical bone

mineralization, however, is not normal because unmineralized osteoid is increased.

volume is decreased but the cancellous volume is increased. (Lindergard et al., 1985).

Generally, two different types of bone markers are used to determine the bone

bone mineralization, and bone volume (TMV) (Moe et al., 2009).

ALP) is a colorimetric assay that is routinely used in clinical laboratories in automated machines. The enzyme is found throughout the body in the form of isoenzymes that are unique to the tissue of origin. Highest concentrations are found in the liver and bone, but the enzyme is also present in the intestines, placenta, kidneys, and leukocytes (Iba K et al. 2004). Specific ALP isoenzymes to identify the tissue source can be determined after fractionation and heat inactivation, but these procedures are not widely available in clinical laboratories. Bone-specific ALP (b-ALP) is measured with an immunoradiometric assay. Elevated levels of t-ALP are generally due to an abnormal liver function, an increased bone activity, or bone metastases. Levels are normally higher in children with growing bones than in adults, and often are increased after fracture. In addition, t-ALP and b-ALP can be elevated in both primary and secondary HPT, osteomalacia, and in the presence of bone metastasis and Paget's disease. In patients with CKD–MBD alkaline phosphatise may be used as an adjunct test, but if values are high, then liver function tests should be checked. t-ALP could reasonably be used as a routine test to follow response to therapy. The more expensive testing for b-ALP can be used when the clinical situation is more ambiguous. Testing for t-ALP is inexpensive and therefore may be helpful for following patients' response to therapy or determining bone turnover status when the interpretation of PTH is unclear. The use of b-ALP, an indicator of bone source, may provide additional and more specific information, although it is not readily available (Iba K et al. 2004).

#### **3. CKD – MBD and bone abnormalities**

Disorders of mineral metabolism are also associated with abnormal bone structure. It has been shown that the gold standard test for bone quality is its ability to resist fracture under strain. In animal models, this resistance can be directly tested with three-point bending mechanical tests. Bone quality is impaired in CKD, as the prevalence of hip fracture is increased in dialysis patients compared with the general population in all age groups. Dialysis patients in their forties have a relative risk of hip fracture that is 80-fold higher than that of age-matched and sex-matched control subjects. Furthermore, hip fracture in dialysis patients is associated with a doubling of the mortality observed in hip fractures in nondialysis patients (Coco M and Rush H., 2000; Alem et al., 2000). It has been shown that risk factors for hip fracture in CKD patients include age, gender, duration of dialysis, and presence of peripheral vascular disease. There are also analyses that found race, gender, duration of dialysis, and low or very high PTH levels as risk factors for hip fracture. It has been reported that both hip and lumbar-spine fractures occur independent of gender and race in CKD patients. Other risk factors for abnormal bone identified in studies from the general population are also common in CKD, including smoking, sedentary lifestyle, and hypogonadism (Alem et al., 2000). These factors are likely to increase the risk of bone fragility and fractures in CKD but have not been well evaluated. Extremes of bone turnover found in patients with CKD have significant impact on fragility and are likely additive to bone abnormalities commonly found in the aging and sedentary general population (Vassalotti et al., 2008; Melamed et al., 2008).

#### **3.1 Classification of renal osteodystrophy by bone biopsy**

Bone biopsy is performed to understand the pathophysiology and course of bone disease, to relate histological findings to clinical symptoms of pain and fracture, and to determine whether treatments are effective. The traditional types of renal osteodystrophy have been defined on the basis of turnover and mineralization as follows: mild, slight increase in turnover and normal mineralization; osteitis fibrosa, increased turnover and normal mineralization; osteomalacia, decreased turnover and abnormal mineralization; adynamic, decreased turnover and acellularity; mixed, increased turnover with abnormal mineralization. It has been suggested recently that by performing bone biopsies in patients with CKD the most important parameters which should be determined are bone turnover, bone mineralization, and bone volume (TMV) (Moe et al., 2009).
