In the validation cohorts, PD specimens had the highest abundance of omental and parietal arteriolar C1q, C3d, terminal complement complex, and phosphorylated SMAD2/3, a downstream effector of TGF-<i>β</i> Furthermore, in the PD parietal arterioles, C1q and terminal complement complex abundance correlated with the level of dialytic glucose exposure, abundance of phosphorylated SMAD2/3, and degree of vasculopathy.
Collagen triple helix repeat containing protein 1 (Cthrc1) is a gene product with novel biochemical activities, and its ability to reduce collagen deposition by inhibition of Smad2/3 activation could have major clinical applications in the fields of vascular disease, repair, and fibrosis.