Abstract: FR-PO0357
Quinolinic Acid and the Risk of Kidney Progression Among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes
Session Information
- Diabetic Kidney Disease: Progression, Predictive Tools, Therapeutics, and Outcomes
November 07, 2025 | Location: Exhibit Hall, Convention Center
Abstract Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Category: Diabetic Kidney Disease
- 702 Diabetic Kidney Disease: Clinical
Authors
- Cheng, Chung-Ting, Kaohsiung Municipal Siaogang Hospital, Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan
- Tsai, Yi-chun, Kaohsiung Medical University Chung Ho Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan
Background
Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of chronic kidney disease and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) globally. Quinolinic acid (QA) is a downstream metabolite of kynurenine pathway. Whether the pathophysiology of QA in DN progression is not well-explored. The aim of the study is to explore the association between QA and adverse kidney outcomes in type 2 diabetic (T2D) patients.
Methods
The prospective cohort study enrolled T2D patients at the outpatient departments of Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital in Taiwan from October 2016 to December 2023, and they were followed-up till December 2024. The serum level of QA was measured using Liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. The definition of kidney outcomes consisted of either doubling of serum creatinine level or progression to ESKD.
Results
Of 497 T2D patients, the mean age was 60.7 years-old, 53.5% were male, and the mean T2D duration was 9.3 years. The mean eGFR was 81.2 ml/min/1.73 m2, and the median HbA1c and UACR were 7.0 % and 16.6 mg/g respectively. The median serum level of QA was 0.43 μM. Thirty-six patients reached doubling of serum creatinine levels or ESKD during a mean follow-up period of 5.3 years. A higher cumulative incidence of adverse kidney outcomes including doubling of serum creatinine levels or ESKD across tertile 1 to 3 of serum QA level among T2D patients in Kaplan-Meier curve. T2D patients in highest tertile of serum QA level had elevated 3.42 hazard (95% CI: 1.26-9.31, p=0.02) for kidney outcomes compared to those in lowest tertile.
Conclusion
The study found that serum QA level was significantly associated with entering doubling of serum creatinine levels or ESKD in T2D patients. QA has the potential to be the biomarker of DN progression.