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Assessment of Vascular Function in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease
Published on: June 16, 2014
Long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and vascular function in patients with chronic kidney disease and healthy
Morten Borg1,2,3, My Svensson4, Johan V Povlsen5,6
1Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark. mortborg@rm.dk.
Insights
Long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in adipose tissue correlate with hemodynamic properties in chronic kidney disease patients and healthy individuals. These findings suggest a role for n-3 PUFA in cardiovascular health, independent of resistance artery function.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Science
- Nephrology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) face significantly higher cardiovascular mortality.
- Long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are recognized for potential cardioprotective effects.
- This study investigates the relationship between seafood intake, n-3 PUFA levels, and cardiovascular parameters in CKD patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate correlations between hemodynamic measurements, resistance artery function, and adipose tissue n-3 PUFA content.
- To assess the association between fish consumption and long-term n-3 PUFA levels.
- To explore the role of n-3 PUFA in cardiovascular health in CKD patients.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study comparing 17 CKD stage 5D patients and 27 healthy kidney donors.
- Hemodynamic measurements and vasodilator properties of resistance arteries were assessed.
- Adipose tissue n-3 PUFA content was measured and correlated with dietary fish intake and hemodynamic data.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in fish intake or adipose tissue n-3 PUFA levels between CKD patients and controls.
- Adipose tissue n-3 PUFA levels positively correlated with systemic vascular resistance index and negatively with cardiac output index in both groups.
- No correlation was found between adipose tissue n-3 PUFA levels and resistance artery vasodilator properties.
Conclusions:
- n-3 PUFA levels in adipose tissue show correlations with hemodynamic properties, suggesting a potential role in cardiovascular regulation.
- The observed effects of n-3 PUFA on hemodynamics do not appear to stem from alterations in intrinsic resistance artery function.
- Increased fish intake is associated with higher adipose tissue n-3 PUFA content.
Background:
Patients with chronic kidney disease have a markedly increased cardiovascular mortality compared with the general population. Long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have been suggested to possess cardioprotective properties. This cross-sectional and comparative study evaluated correlations between hemodynamic measurements, resistance artery function and fish consumption to the content of long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in adipose tissue, a long-term marker of seafood intake.
Methods:
Seventeen patients with chronic kidney disease stage 5 + 5d and 27 healthy kidney donors were evaluated with hemodynamic measurements before surgery; from these subjects, 11 patients and 11 healthy subjects had vasodilator properties of subcutaneous resistance arteries examined. The measurements were correlated to adipose tissue n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Information on fish intake was obtained from a dietary questionnaire and compared with adipose tissue n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Results:
Fish intake and the content of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in adipose tissue did not differ between patients and controls. n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid levels in adipose tissue were positively correlated to systemic vascular resistance index; (r = 0.44; p = 0.07 and r = 0.62; p < 0.05, chronic kidney disease and healthy subjects respectively) and negatively correlated to cardiac output index (r = -0.69; p < 0.01 and r = -0.50; p < 0.05, chronic kidney disease and healthy subjects respectively). No correlation was observed between n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid levels in adipose tissue and vasodilator properties in resistance arteries. n-3 PUFA content in adipose tissue increased with increasing self-reported fish intake.
Conclusions:
The correlations found, suggest a role for n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in hemodynamic properties. However, this is apparently not due to changes in intrinsic properties of the resistance arteries as no correlation was found to n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.
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