04.01.20
A new publication in the journal Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation examined the link between early vascular aging and chronic kidney disease, with a focus on the role of vitamin K in counteracting oxidative stress and the aging process. The review paper, which was funded by an INTRICARE grant to NattoPharma’s international research network by the European Union, provides evidence that vitamin K2 is important to support healthy aging, and that a deficiency in K2 was correlated with early vascular aging.
According to the authors of “Early vascular aging in chronic kidney disease: the impact of inflammation, vitamin K, senescence and genomic damage,” patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are characterized by an accelerated aging process, including cardiovascular complications, persistent uraemic inflammation, muscle wasting, osteoporosis and frailty, preceding initiation of renal replacement therapy with dialysis or kidney transplantation.
Early vascular aging is a hallmark of age-related detioration, and is a strong predictor of cardiovascular mobidity and mortality in the CKD population. It is mediated by vascular calcification.
“Current clinical therapeutic strategies and novel treatments for VC have not yet been proven to prevent or reverse vascular calcification in patients with CKD,” the authors wrote. “Knowledge of the fundamental mechanism underlying early vascular aging is urgently needed to identify and develop novel and therapeutic targets for vascular calcification and early vascular aging.”
The researchers suggested that vitamin K may play a crucial role in early vascular aging, especially in patients who have intense vascular calcification as a symptom of chronic kidney disease. DNA damage-induced cellular senescence and “inflammmaging” may largely contribute to conditions characterized by early vascular aging. “Growing evidence shows that nuclear factory eythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) signaling and vitamin K play a crucial role in counteracting oxidative stress, DNA damage, senescense and inflammaging, whereby NRF2 activation and vitamin K supplementation may provide a novel treatment target for EVA,” the authors concluded.
Dr. Hogne Vik, NattoPharma’s chief medical officer, said that this paper provides grounds for the establishment of a specific recommended daily intake (RDI) for vitamin K2 separate from K1, which NattoPharma and its research partners are pushing for.
“Recognition of vitamin K2’s benefits as a strong and significant elucidated inhibitor of vascular and soft tissue calcification is one of the core reasons a separate RDI should be established,” Vik said. “We are proud that our partnership with Maastricht University and this prestigious grant has given us an opportunity to further the understanding of the necessity of obtaining adequate K2 for human health.”
According to the authors of “Early vascular aging in chronic kidney disease: the impact of inflammation, vitamin K, senescence and genomic damage,” patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are characterized by an accelerated aging process, including cardiovascular complications, persistent uraemic inflammation, muscle wasting, osteoporosis and frailty, preceding initiation of renal replacement therapy with dialysis or kidney transplantation.
Early vascular aging is a hallmark of age-related detioration, and is a strong predictor of cardiovascular mobidity and mortality in the CKD population. It is mediated by vascular calcification.
“Current clinical therapeutic strategies and novel treatments for VC have not yet been proven to prevent or reverse vascular calcification in patients with CKD,” the authors wrote. “Knowledge of the fundamental mechanism underlying early vascular aging is urgently needed to identify and develop novel and therapeutic targets for vascular calcification and early vascular aging.”
The researchers suggested that vitamin K may play a crucial role in early vascular aging, especially in patients who have intense vascular calcification as a symptom of chronic kidney disease. DNA damage-induced cellular senescence and “inflammmaging” may largely contribute to conditions characterized by early vascular aging. “Growing evidence shows that nuclear factory eythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) signaling and vitamin K play a crucial role in counteracting oxidative stress, DNA damage, senescense and inflammaging, whereby NRF2 activation and vitamin K supplementation may provide a novel treatment target for EVA,” the authors concluded.
Dr. Hogne Vik, NattoPharma’s chief medical officer, said that this paper provides grounds for the establishment of a specific recommended daily intake (RDI) for vitamin K2 separate from K1, which NattoPharma and its research partners are pushing for.
“Recognition of vitamin K2’s benefits as a strong and significant elucidated inhibitor of vascular and soft tissue calcification is one of the core reasons a separate RDI should be established,” Vik said. “We are proud that our partnership with Maastricht University and this prestigious grant has given us an opportunity to further the understanding of the necessity of obtaining adequate K2 for human health.”