Pre-incubating human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) with AGE prior to exposure to S100A8/S1009 heterodimers increases the production of IL-6 and CCL2 in a dose-dependent manner (74), indicating that CKD patients with AGE-generating co-morbidities may be at risk for enhanced vascular inflammation. Here, S100A8 is linked to chronic kidney disease.