Expression of FGF-23 and FGFR1 is increased in uremic rat skin

Alterations in skin structure and function are very common in uremic patients, but still there is no unifying hypothesis for uremic skin disorders. Fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) deficiency has been linked to skin disorders in non-uremic animals. We aimed to study alterations in FGF-23 and fibroblast growth factor-23 receptor 1 (FGFR1) expression in uremic rat skins. Wistar albino rats were divided into two groups: sham group (SG, n = 8) and uremic group (UG, n = 8). Uremia was induced by reduction of the total kidney mass in the UG. Animals were sacrificed after 14 weeks of the follow-up. Serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen levels in the UG increased significantly, compared to the SG, at the end of the experiment (0.69 ± 0.08 vs. 0.3 ± 0.04 Mann-Whitney U test (MWU), p = 0,003 and 55.2 ± 8.9 vs. 29.6 ± 6.8 MWU, p = 0.002, respectively). Serum FGF-23 level in the UG was increased non-significantly, compared to the SG (53.5 ± 20.9 vs. 37.2 ± 9.7 MWU, p = 0.072), whereas serum 1,25(OH) D level was significantly lower in the UG (149.4 ± 33.5 vs. 213.8 ± 43.8 MWU, p