Salivary β2-microglobulin analysis in chronic kidney disease and hemodialyzed patients

Background: β2-Microglobulin (β2m) is a major component in dialysis-related amyloidosis, a disabling disease affecting long-term dialysis patients. Methods: β2m and other components were analyzed in saliva and serum from 53 individuals in 4 subgroups: healthy normal controls, diabetes mellitus (DM), chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hemodialysis (HD) patients. Results: Median salivary and mean serum β2m concentrations were 78% higher in both saliva (p = 0.048) and serum (p = 0.047) in DM patients; 118% (p = 0.016) and 907% (p = 0.007) higher, respectively, in CKD patients, and 328% (p = 0.0001) and 2,710% (p = 0.001) higher, respectively, in HD patients, compared with healthy controls. The correlation analysis between salivary and serum β2m concentrations showed a low correlation rate in HD patients (r = -0.18), but was rather high in CKD patients (r = 0.50). Conclusions: Salivary analysis of β2m is a reliable method for evaluating serum β2m levels in CKD patients, and may help predict the potential for development of CKD-induced amyloidosis.