Analysis of Serum Fatty Acids Profile in Kidney Transplant Recipients

Abstract

Patients with end-stage kidney disease, treated with renal transplantation, are at increased risk of cardio-vascular disease (CVD) and cardio-vascular mortality. They are also characterized by an atherogenic dyslipidemia. Alterations of the fatty acids (FA) profile contribute to increased cardio-vascular risk in the general population. In the current study, we test the hypothesis that kidney transplantation is associated with ab-normalities in FA profile. The FA profile was analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry in 198 renal transplant recipients, and 48 control subjects. The most profound differences between renal transplant patients and controls were related to the content of branched chain FA, monounsaturated FA, and n-6 polyunsaturated FA, respectively. The FA profile significantly separated the patients from the controls in the principal component analysis (PCA). The abnormalities of FA profile showed a tendency for normalization in long-term kidney recipients, as compared to patients with recent transplants. The n-3 PUFA content demonstrated a strong inverse association with the presence of inflammation. Most profound alterations of the FA profile were observed in patients with impaired graft function (glomerular filtration rate < 45 mL/min). The study demonstrated significant disorders of the FA profile in kidney transplant recipients, which might contribute to cardio-vascular risk in this vulnerable patient population.

The Impact of Kidney Transplantation on the Serum Fatty Acid Profile in Patients with End-Stage Kidney Disease

“…The many metabolic changes [41] and slow recovery post-surgery in patients with CKD may also contribute to the deviation in the FA profile observed in our previous study. Therefore, the results of the current study are expectedly different from the previous study [20]. Even though the duration of the current study was relatively short, the alteration of the FA profile was significant.…”

“…In our previous studies, we observed that despite normal kidney function after transplantation, the FA profile was still abnormal [19]. Our recent work concerning a comparison of FA profiles in patients at different time intervals after transplantation and healthy controls showed many differences in FA profiles [20]. In that study, however, we were unable to evaluate the same patients before and after transplantation, as we did in this study.…”

“…Kidney transplantation is by far the most optimal method of renal replacement therapy, leading to the resolution of many disorders in these patients. Our previous work [20] showed an altered FA profile in patients with kidney transplant compared to healthy controls. The effect of kidney transplantation on changes in the FA profile is not well studied.…”

“…Our previous study [20] showed significantly greater deviations in the FA profile in patients after transplantation, which may be due to the fact that it was a study comparing transplant patients with healthy controls. The many metabolic changes [41] and slow recovery post-surgery in patients with CKD may also contribute to the deviation in the FA profile observed in our previous study.…”

“…A participation success rate of 81% was achieved. The FA profile was analyzed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS), using the same method as in the previous work [20]. Briefly, total lipids were extracted from each patient's serum with a mixture of chloroform-methanol (2:1, v/v), according to the Folch et al method [22].…”