The Effect of Osteoprotegerin (OPG)/Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-κB Ligand (RANKL)/Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-κB (RANK) on Aortic Valve Calcified.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of osteoprotegerin (OPG)/receptor activator of nuclear factor-[Formula: see text]B ligand (RANKL)/receptor activator of nuclear factor-[Formula: see text]B (RANK) nuclear factor on aortic valve calcification.

Methods: The aortic valve tissue was collected from 132 aortic stenosis (AS) patients who underwent valve replacement. The valve tissue was stained with hematoxylin eosin (HE) and alizarin red calcium salt deposition. At the same time, CD68, RUNX2, TRAP immunohistochemical staining and double staining were performed.

Results: ELISA analysis showed that the peripheral blood OPG value in the severe calcification group was significantly higher than mild calcification group (P=0.000) and non-calcification group (P=0.000), while the content of peripheral blood sRANKL in the severe calcification group was significantly lower than that in the non-calcification group (P=0.001). The valval OPG value in the mild calcification group was significantly higher than that of the non-calcification group (P=0.001) and the severe calcification group (P=0.040), and the valval sRANKL value of the severe calcification group was significantly lower than that of the non-calcification group (P=0.000).

Conclusion: The expression of OPG and RANKL can regulate the inflammatory reaction of valve and the balance between bone formation and resorption, thus affecting the progress of valve calcification.