Clinical Significance of Sonic Hedgehog in Renal Interstitial Fibrosis of Chronic Kidney Disease Patients

© 2026 by the Authors. Licensee Whioce Publishing, Singapore. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )

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Abstract

Background: Sonic hedgehog (SHH) has been found to be involved in chronic kidney disease (CKD) development. Aims: This study aims to explore the clinical significance of SHH in renal interstitial fibrosis (RIF) of CKD patients. Methods: SHH serum levels were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Expressions of SHH, TGF-β and CTGF in kidney biopsy specimens of CKD patients were measured by immunohistochemistry staining. Results: Serum levels of SHH were significantly higher in stage 3–4 and stage 5 of CKD patients than that in healthy controls. SHH levels were positively correlated with Scr, BUN and UA levels; negatively correlated with HGB and eGFR in CKD patients. SHH was the risk factor for DKD. In addition, The expression of SHH was significantly increased in stage 3–4 patients compared to stage 1–2 patients, and increased in severe interstitial fibrosis group than that in the mild interstitial fibrosis group. SHH expression was positively correlated with renal interstitial fibrosis score and profibrotic factors (TGF-β and CTGF) in CKD patients. Conclusions: SHH might serve as a potential biomarker for CKD and mediate the pathogenesis of RIF in CKD patients.

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