Glycoxidation and inflammation in chronic haemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: Uraemia and haemodialysis treatment are associated with microinflammation and oxidative as well as carbonyl stress, which result in enhanced formation of glycoxidation products. Although both glycoxidation and inflammation can contribute to severe vascular and cardiovascular complications, the role that these pathogenic mechanisms play in the complex response of the whole organism remains to be elucidated. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study in 34 clinically stable chronic haemodialysis patients and in 14 healthy controls while determining serum concentrations of pentosidine, fluorescent advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs) and acute phase reactants. We further assessed the relationship between these glycoxidation products and parameters of inflammation. RESULTS: Glycoxidation products as well as certain acute phase reactants were elevated in haemodialysis patients. There were significant correlations between AOPPs and inflammatory parameters such as orosomucoid (0.39, P < 0.05), fibrinogen (0.49, P < 0.05) and pregnancy-associated protein A (PAPP-A; 0.46, P < 0.05), but no correlations between pentosidine or fluorescent AGEs and any of the inflammatory parameters. CONCLUSION: Oxidative damage showed a closer relationship to inflammation than advanced glycation (glycoxidation). AOPPs may represent a superior acute biochemical marker, whereas AGEs may better describe chronic long-lasting damage.

Antiphospholipid antibodies in patients with lupus nephritis.

The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of anticardiolipin antibodies with other types of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) (antiphosphatidylserine--aPS, antiphosphatidylinositol--aPI, antiphosphatidylethanolamine--aPE) in patients with lupus nephritis and to find if the examination of a panel of various aPL is valuable for further diagnosis of patients. Additionally we determined the levels of autoantibodies against beta2-glycoprotein I (beta2GPI) and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (anti-oxLDL) and also investigated the relationship between antibodies against beta2GPI and oxLDL, which were assessed by ELISA methods. Twenty-two patients with lupus nephritis were studied. The control group consisted of 62 healthy blood donors. A statistically significant higher occurrence of all aPLs in the patients with lupus nephritis in comparison to the control group was found. The prevalence of polyspecific antibodies, which reacted with at least two various phospholipids, was 82% in the group of SLE patients. Significantly higher levels of IgG anti-beta2GPI in the sera of SLE patients (p = 0.0003) was detected. The levels of anti-oxLDL in the sera of the patients group did not differ significantly from the control one. Some positive samples for anti-beta2GPI and negative for aCL or anti-oxLDL and vice versa were found. It ca be concluded that the production of aPL including anti-beta2GPI and anti-oxLDL in the lupus nephritis patients is higher in comparison with healthy blood donors. We assume that the estimation of various types of aPL may be important in the selection of the group patients with renal diseases. The synthesis of aPL can reflect the spreading of the autoimmune response for several antigens modified on the vessel wall.