Association between Serum Beclin 1 Level and Cardiac Valvular Calcification in Hemodialysis Patients

Abstract Introduction Cardiovascular calcification is a prevalent condition at all stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Autophagy is a natural cellular phenomenon that is considered to have a great ability to modulate pathology of cardiac diseases such as cardiac arrhythmias, atherosclerosis, heart failure and especially cardiac valvular and vascular calcifications. Beclin- 1, a highly conserved eukaryotic protein, has a major regulatory role in autophagy. It is a component of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) complex. Recent studies showed that autophagy effect of beclin 1 might play a protective role in CKD vascular calcification. Autophagy is expected to become a new therapeutic target for CKD vascular calcification. Methods This study enrolled 102 hemodialysis patients divided into 2 equal groups according to echo results. All the participants were subjected to serum Beclin 1 and transthoracic echocardiography. Patients with acute kidney injury, active malignancy and diabetics were excluded. Results There was statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding serum Beclin 1, all parameters of lipid profile, ischemic heart disease, serum albumin, and total calcium. the echocardiography findings regarding aortic valve calcification in group 1 showed that the majority of cases exhibited mild calcification (60.78%), there was a significant relation between beclin 1 and both of IHD (p = 0.011), and ECHO findings Aortic valve calcification (p˂0.001). (lower level of beclin was associated with severe valvular calcification). The best cutoff value of beclim 1 was ≤ 35.5 ng/ml, with the best sensitivity (98%) and specificity (92%). Conclusion The serum beclin 1 level assessment could be used as a tool for the prediction of cardiac valvular calcification in hemodialysis patients.