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Free cysteine is increased in plasma from hemodialysis patients

Takeshi Nakanishi1, Yukiko Hasuike, Yoshinaga Otaki

  • 1Department of Internal Medicine, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Japan. t-nknd@hyo-med.ac.jp

Kidney International
|March 13, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Free cysteine levels in plasma are significantly higher in hemodialysis patients, suggesting its potential role in cardiovascular risk and atherosclerosis. This finding highlights the importance of measuring free thiols for better clinical predictions.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Nephrology
  • Cardiovascular Medicine

Background:

  • Total thiol concentration, encompassing bound and free forms, is typically measured in clinical studies.
  • Free thiol forms may offer superior predictive value for cardiovascular risk compared to total thiols.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To measure free homocysteine (Hcy) and cysteine (Cys) concentrations.
  • To compare these levels in healthy controls and hemodialysis patients before and after dialysis.

Main Methods:

  • Plasma samples from controls and hemodialysis patients were analyzed.
  • Filtered and acid-soluble fractions were used to determine apparent concentrations of free Hcy and Cys.

Main Results:

  • In controls, filtered cysteine was significantly lower than acid-soluble cysteine.
  • Pre-hemodialysis patients exhibited over 60-fold higher filtered cysteine levels compared to controls.
  • The free-to-total cysteine ratio was markedly elevated in pre-hemodialysis patients (40.9%) versus controls (1.6%).

Conclusions:

  • The filtered thiol fraction can estimate solute transport during dialysis.
  • Cysteine's role in atherosclerosis pathogenesis among hemodialysis patients warrants further investigation.
Abstract

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