Role of Osteoprotegerin as Novel Marker in Urinary Stone Formers: A Pilot Study

Background: Urinary tract calculus formation can be prevented by identifying molecules and metabolic disturbances that affect this process. Osteoprotegerin (OPG), a cytokine of the TNF receptor superfamily, has been demonstrated to mediate vascular calcification and intimal calcification. Endothelial injury and oxidative stress are known to play a role in urolithiasis in the form of Randall’s plaques. Objectives: The present study aimed to compare 24-h urinary and serum OPG levels of patients with and without urolithiasis. Methods: In this case-control study, 24-h urinary levels of OPG (pg/mL), serum levels of OPG (pg/mL), and creatinine (mg/dL) were measured in both groups. Urinary and serum levels of OPG were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using human OPG kits. Results: Mean serum creatinine was 0.86 0.21 mg/dL in the case group and 0.77 0.16 mg/dL in controls. The difference in the mean serum OPG levels between the cases (227.1398.02 pg/mL) and controls (47.2829.61 pg/mL) was highly significant (P value < 0.0001). The difference in the mean 24-h urinary OPG levels between the cases (156.12 174.31 pg/mL) and controls (9.32 23.72 pg/mL) was highly significant (P value < 0.001). Conclusions: There were significantly higher levels of OPG in serum and 24-h urine samples of cases than in controls. Hence, it requires further large studies to make OPG a diagnostic and prognostic marker.