Homocysteinemia due to folate deficiency

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Nutritional Science
• Clinical Medicine

Background:

• Serum folate levels are crucial for metabolic processes.
• Elevated homocysteine (homocysteinemia) is a potential health concern.
• The relationship between folate status and homocysteine requires further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between varying serum folate concentrations and total homocysteine levels.
• To determine if folate deficiency contributes to homocysteinemia in individuals without homocystinuria.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of protein-bound homocysteine in stored serum samples.
• Categorization of subjects based on serum folate levels: subnormal (<2 ng/mL), low normal (2.0-3.9 ng/mL), normal (4.0-17.9 ng/mL), and high (>18 ng/mL).

Main Results:

• 84% of subjects with subnormal folate and 56% with low normal folate exhibited elevated homocysteine (>7.05 nmol/mL).
• 32% of these subjects showed a more than threefold increase in serum total homocysteine.
• Low serum folate, including concentrations within the low normal range, correlated with homocysteine accumulation.

Conclusions:

• Folate depletion is a likely cause of homocysteinemia in nonhomocystinuric individuals.
• Both subnormal and low normal serum folate levels can lead to homocysteine buildup.
• Preliminary findings suggest female hormones may influence homocysteine metabolism in pregnant women with low folate.