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Effects of hemodialysis on blood fatty acids

Benjamin Gollasch1,2, Inci Dogan3, Michael Rothe3

  • 1Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC), A joint institution of the Charité Medical Faculty and Max Delbrück Center (MDC) for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany.

Physiological Reports
|January 26, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Omega-3 fatty acids are crucial for cardiovascular health. In chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, hemodialysis does not change red blood cell (RBC) omega-3 levels, suggesting dialysis isn't the cause of lower omega-3 indices.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Science
  • Nephrology
  • Nutritional Biochemistry

Background:

  • Omega-3 fatty acids offer cardiovascular benefits, potentially extending to chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients.
  • A low omega-3 index is a known cardiovascular risk factor in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) dialysis patients.
  • Existing plasma measurements overlook circulating blood cells like erythrocytes (RBCs), which also contain vital fatty acids.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate omega-3 fatty acid levels in both plasma and RBCs of CKD patients undergoing hemodialysis.
  • To determine if hemodialysis treatment impacts the omega-3 index within RBC membranes.
  • To compare fatty acid profiles in RBCs and plasma between healthy individuals and CKD patients.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized HPLC-MS lipidomics to measure fatty acids in all blood components.
  • Studied 15 healthy persons and 15 CKD patients on regular hemodialysis.
  • Analyzed RBC membrane fatty acids, focusing on eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

Main Results:

  • Significant differences in total fatty acid levels were observed in RBCs between healthy controls and CKD patients.
  • Hemodialysis treatment did not alter plasma or RBC fatty acid levels, including the omega-3 quotient (EPA and DHA percentages).
  • Hemodialysis increased plasma levels of specific fatty acids (e.g., C12:0, C14:0, C16:0, C20:2 n-6, C20:4 n-6, DHA) but not free fatty acids.

Conclusions:

  • CKD patients exhibit distinct RBC fatty acid signatures compared to healthy individuals.
  • Hemodialysis does not appear to modify the RBC n-3 fatty acid status or the omega-3 quotient.
  • The dialysis procedure itself is unlikely to be the sole reason for a reduced omega-3 index observed in CKD patients.

Keywords:
chronic kidney diseasedialysiserythrocytesexercisefatty acidslipidomics

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