Association of blood bicarbonate and pH with mineral metabolism disturbance and outcome after kidney transplantation

Metabolic acidosis in chronic kidney disease: mere consequence or also culprit?

Metabolic acidosis is a frequent complication in non-transplant chronic kidney disease (CKD) and after kidney transplantation. It occurs when net endogenous acid production exceeds net acid excretion. While nephron loss with reduced ammoniagenesis is the main cause of acid retention in non-transplant CKD patients, additional pathophysiological mechanisms are likely inflicted in kidney transplant recipients. Functional tubular damage by calcineurin inhibitors seems to play a key role causing renal tubular acidosis. Notably, experimental and clinical studies over the past decades have provided evidence that metabolic acidosis may not only be a consequence of CKD but also a driver of disease. In metabolic acidosis, activation of hormonal systems and the complement system resulting in fibrosis have been described. Further studies of changes in renal metabolism will likely contribute to a deeper understanding of the pathophysiology of metabolic acidosis in CKD. While alkali supplementation in case of reduced serum bicarbonate < 22 mmol/l has been endorsed by CKD guidelines for many years to slow renal functional decline, among other considerations, beneficial effects and thresholds for treatment have lately been under intense debate. This review article discusses this topic in light of the most recent results of trials assessing the efficacy of dietary and pharmacological interventions in CKD and kidney transplant patients.

Sodium bicarbonate for kidney transplant recipients with metabolic acidosis in Switzerland: a multicentre, randomised, single-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial

BACKGROUND

Metabolic acidosis is common in kidney transplant recipients and is associated with declining graft function. Sodium bicarbonate treatment effectively corrects metabolic acidosis, but no prospective studies have examined its effect on graft function. Therefore, we aimed to test whether sodium bicarbonate treatment would preserve graft function and slow the progression of estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) decline in kidney transplant recipients.

METHODS

The Preserve-Transplant Study was a multicentre, randomised, single-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial at three University Hospitals in Switzerland (Zurich, Bern, and Geneva), which recruited adult (aged ≥18 years) male and female long-term kidney transplant recipients if they had undergone transplantation more than 1 year ago. Key inclusion criteria were an estimated GFR between 15 mL/min per 1·73 m2 and 89 mL/min per 1·73 m2, stable allograft function in the last 6 months before study inclusion (<15% change in serum creatinine), and a serum bicarbonate of 22 mmol/L or less. We randomly assigned patients (1:1) to either oral sodium bicarbonate 1·5-4·5 g per day or matching placebo using web-based data management software. Randomisation was stratified by study centre and gender using a permuted block design to guarantee balanced allocation. We did multi-block randomisation with variable block sizes of two and four. Treatment duration was 2 years. Acid-resistant soft gelatine capsules of 500 mg sodium bicarbonate or matching 500 mg placebo capsules were given at an initial dose of 500 mg (if bodyweight was <70 kg) or 1000 mg (if bodyweight was ≥70 kg) three times daily. The primary endpoint was the estimated GFR slope over the 24-month treatment phase. The primary efficacy analyses were applied to a modified intention-to-treat population that comprised all randomly assigned participants who had a baseline visit. The safety population comprised all participants who received at least one dose of study drug. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03102996.

FINDINGS

Between June 12, 2017, and July 10, 2019, 1114 kidney transplant recipients with metabolic acidosis were assessed for trial eligibility. 872 patients were excluded and 242 were randomly assigned to the study groups (122 [50%] to the placebo group and 120 [50%] to the sodium bicarbonate group). After secondary exclusion of two patients, 240 patients were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. The calculated yearly estimated GFR slopes over the 2-year treatment period were a median -0·722 mL/min per 1·73 m2 (IQR -4·081 to 1·440) and mean -1·862 mL/min per 1·73 m2 (SD 6·344) per year in the placebo group versus median -1·413 mL/min per 1·73 m2 (IQR -4·503 to 1·139) and mean -1·830 mL/min per 1·73 m2 (SD 6·233) per year in the sodium bicarbonate group (Wilcoxon rank sum test p=0·51; Welch t-test p=0·97). The mean difference was 0·032 mL/min per 1·73 m2 per year (95% CI -1·644 to 1·707). There were no significant differences in estimated GFR slopes in a subgroup analysis and a sensitivity analysis confirmed the primary analysis. Although the estimated GFR slope did not show a significant difference between the treatment groups, treatment with sodium bicarbonate effectively corrected metabolic acidosis by increasing serum bicarbonate from 21·3 mmol/L (SD 2·6) to 23·0 mmol/L (2·7) and blood pH from 7·37 (SD 0·06) to 7·39 (0·04) over the 2-year treatment period. Adverse events and serious adverse events were similar in both groups. Three study participants died. In the placebo group, one (1%) patient died from acute respiratory distress syndrome due to SARS-CoV-2 and one (1%) from cardiac arrest after severe dehydration following diarrhoea with hypotension, acute kidney injury, and metabolic acidosis. In the sodium bicarbonate group, one (1%) patient had sudden cardiac death.

INTERPRETATION

In adult kidney transplant recipients, correction of metabolic acidosis by treatment with sodium bicarbonate over 2 years did not affect the decline in estimated GFR. Thus, treatment with sodium bicarbonate should not be generally recommended to preserve estimated GFR (a surrogate marker for graft function) in kidney transplant recipients with chronic kidney disease who have metabolic acidosis.

FUNDING

Swiss National Science Foundation.

Kidney metabolism and acid-base control: back to the basics

Kidneys are central in the regulation of multiple physiological functions, such as removal of metabolic wastes and toxins, maintenance of electrolyte and fluid balance, and control of pH homeostasis. In addition, kidneys participate in systemic gluconeogenesis and in the production or activation of hormones. Acid-base conditions influence all these functions concomitantly. Healthy kidneys properly coordinate a series of physiological responses in the face of acute and chronic acid-base disorders. However, injured kidneys have a reduced capacity to adapt to such challenges. Chronic kidney disease patients are an example of individuals typically exposed to chronic and progressive metabolic acidosis. Their organisms undergo a series of alterations that brake large detrimental changes in the homeostasis of several parameters, but these alterations may also operate as further drivers of kidney damage. Acid-base disorders lead not only to changes in mechanisms involved in acid-base balance maintenance, but they also affect multiple other mechanisms tightly wired to it. In this review article, we explore the basic renal activities involved in the maintenance of acid-base balance and show how they are interconnected to cell energy metabolism and other important intracellular activities. These intertwined relationships have been investigated for more than a century, but a modern conceptual organization of these events is lacking. We propose that pH homeostasis indissociably interacts with central pathways that drive progression of chronic kidney disease, such as inflammation and metabolism, independent of etiology.

Association of serum bicarbonate with graft survival and mortality in kidney transplant recipients

BACKGROUND

Metabolic acidosis is an independent risk factor for kidney disease progression with a high prevalence after kidney transplantation (KTx). Remarkably, it is still unclear if there is an impact of metabolic acidosis on graft function and death after KTx. Thus, we wanted to investigate if serum bicarbonate is associated with long-term graft outcome and mortality after KTx.

METHODS

We performed a single-center retrospective study including adult de novo KTx patients between 1999 and 2015. Cox proportional hazard model was used to analyze a possible association between time-dependent serum bicarbonate measurements and graft failure or death.

RESULTS

Four hundred thirty KTRs were included in the analysis with a mean age of 50.9 ± 13.4 years. Mean observation time was 4.7 ± 2.8 years. Two hundred eighty-four (66%) patients were male and 318 (74%) had received a deceased donor kidney transplant. Mean bicarbonate and eGFR levels 1 year post-transplant amounted to 22.9 ± 3.1 mEq/L and 61 ± 26 ml/min/1.73 m², respectively. Prevalence of metabolic acidosis was 31% 1 year after transplantation. Fourteen (3%) patients died and 31 (7%) suffered from graft failure. Higher bicarbonate levels were associated with significantly lower hazards for graft failure (Hazard Ratio (HR) = 0.88; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.79-0.98) and mortality (HR = 0.79; 95% CI 0.66-0.93) after adjusting for potential confounders such as age, donor type and time-varying eGFR.

CONCLUSIONS

Our analysis showed that higher serum bicarbonate levels are positively associated with long-term graft and patient survival in kidney transplant recipients. Thus, serum bicarbonate may serve as a predictor and independent risk factor for graft and patient outcome after KTx as has been previously shown for patients with CKD.

A Pilot Study of the Safety and Efficacy of Alkali Therapy on Vascular Function in Kidney Transplant Recipients

Introduction

Metabolic acidosis is associated with cardiovascular events, graft function, and mortality in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). We examined the effect of alkali therapy on vascular endothelial function in KTRs.

Methods

We performed an 18-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover pilot study examining the effect of sodium bicarbonate therapy versus placebo on vascular function in 20 adult KTRs at least 1 year from transplant with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥45 ml/min per 1.73 m² and a serum bicarbonate level of 20 to 26 mEq/L. Each treatment period was 8 weeks in duration with a 2-week washout period between treatments. The primary outcome was change in brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) between sodium bicarbonate treatment and placebo.

Results

Twenty patients completed the study and were included in the primary analysis. The mean (SD) baseline eGFR of participants was 75 (22) ml/min per 1.73 m², respectively. Serum bicarbonate levels did not increase significantly with treatment (0.3 [1.5] mEq/L, P = 0.37). Sodium bicarbonate therapy was not associated with worsening blood pressure, weight gain, or hypokalemia. There was no significant increase in FMD after 8 weeks of sodium bicarbonate therapy compared to placebo (mean change in FMD 2.2%, 95% CI -0.1 to 4.6, P = 0.06). There were no significant changes in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, eGFR, or urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio during treatment. Urinary ammonium excretion decreased by 9 mmol/d (P=0.003), with sodium bicarbonate.

Conclusions

Sodium bicarbonate therapy is safe and feasible in KTRs, and our results strengthen the need for a larger randomized controlled trial.

Acidosis and alkali therapy in patients with kidney transplant is associated with transcriptional changes and altered abundance of genes involved in cell metabolism and acid-base balance

BACKGROUND

Metabolic acidosis occurs frequently in patients with kidney transplant and is associated with higher risk for and accelerated loss of graft function. To date, it is not known whether alkali therapy in these patients improves kidney function and whether acidosis and its therapy is associated with altered expression of proteins involved in renal acid-base metabolism.

METHODS

We collected retrospectively kidney biopsies from 22 patients. Of these patients, 9 had no acidosis, 9 had metabolic acidosis (plasma HCO3- < 22 mmol/l), and 4 had acidosis and received alkali therapy. We performed transcriptome analysis and immunohistochemistry for proteins involved in renal acid-base handling.

RESULTS

We found the expression of 40 transcripts significantly changed between kidneys from non-acidotic and acidotic patients. These genes are mostly involved in proximal tubule amino acid and lipid metabolism and energy homeostasis. Three transcripts were fully recovered by alkali therapy: the Kir4.2 K+-channel, an important regulator of proximal tubule HCO3--metabolism and transport, ACADSB and SHMT1, genes involved in beta-oxidation and methionine metabolism. Immunohistochemistry showed reduced staining for the proximal tubule NBCe1 HCO3- transporter in kidneys from acidotic patients that recovered with alkali therapy. In addition, the HCO3-exchanger pendrin was affected by acidosis and alkali therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Metabolic acidosis in kidney transplant recipients is associated with alterations in the renal transcriptome that are partly restored by alkali therapy. Acid-base transport proteins mostly from proximal tubule were also affected by acidosis and alkali therapy suggesting that the downregulation of critical players contributes to metabolic acidosis in these patients.

Low Hydrophobic Mismatch Scores Calculated for HLA-A/B/DR/DQ Loci Improve Kidney Allograft Survival

We evaluated the impact of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) disparity (immunogenicity; IM) on long-term kidney allograft survival. The IM was quantified based on physicochemical properties of the polymorphic linear donor/recipient HLA amino acids (the Cambridge algorithm) as a hydrophobic, electrostatic, amino acid mismatch scores (HMS\AMS\EMS) or eplet mismatch (EpMM) load. High-resolution HLA-A/B/DRB1/DQB1 types were imputed to calculate HMS for primary/re-transplant recipients of deceased donor transplants. The multiple Cox regression showed the association of HMS with graft survival and other confounders. The HMS integer 0–10 scale showed the most survival benefit between HMS 0 and 3. The Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that: the HMS=0 group had 18.1-year median graft survival, a 5-year benefit over HMS>0 group; HMS ≤ 3.0 had 16.7-year graft survival, a 3.8-year better than HMS>3.0 group; and, HMS ≤ 7.8 had 14.3-year grafts survival, a 1.8-year improvement over HMS>7.8 group. Stratification based on EMS, AMS or EpMM produced similar results. Additionally, the importance of HLA-DR with/without -DQ IM for graft survival was shown. In our simulation of 1,000 random donor/recipient pairs, 75% with HMS>3.0 were re-matched into HMS ≤ 3.0 and the remaining 25% into HMS≥7.8: after re-matching, the 13.5 years graft survival would increase to 16.3 years. This approach matches donors to recipients with low/medium IM donors thus preventing transplants with high IM donors.