Regulatory Effect of Parathyroid Hormone on sRANKL-Osteoprotegerin in Hemodialysis Patients With Renal Bone Disease

: Receptor activator of nuclear factor‐κB ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin are newly identified molecules that contribute to the modulation of bone remodeling. RANKL activates osteoclast function by binding to RANK in either a soluble or membrane‐bound form, whereas osteoprotegerin (OPG) neutralizes its effects. The aim of this study is the evaluation of soluble RANKL (sRANKL)‐OPG in cohorts of hemodialysis patients and the establishment of possible correlations between their serum levels and those of other biochemical markers. We measured intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), osteocalcin (OC), OPG, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and sRANKL in 104 hemodialysis patients. The patients were studied as a whole and in two subgroups according to their bone turnover state. In patients with low serum levels of bone turnover markers (intact parathyroid hormone [iPTH]