n-3 fatty acids reduce proteinuria in patients with chronic glomerular disease.
Dietary supplementation with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) has been shown to reduce proteinuria in experimental models of renal diseases, but their potential role in the treatment of human renal disease is unknown. We administered n-3 PUFA in the form of triglycerides [with eicosapentaenoic (EPA)+docosahexaenoic (DHA) = 3 g/day into 4 patients] and of ethyl esters (EPA+DHA = 7.7 g/day) into 10 patients (one patient twice) with chronic glomerular disease (membranous glomerulonephritis and focal glomerular sclerosis), all diagnosed histologically. Serum albumin was > 2.4 g/dl and serum creatinine < 2.5 mg/dl in all patients. Treatment was given for periods of six weeks, followed by a prolonged follow-up for 27 weeks in 10 cases. Dietary supplementation with n-3 PUFA caused the expected reduction in platelet generation of thromboxane B2 (mean +/- SEM, from 490 +/- 70 ng/ml at baseline, to 342 +/- 147 ng/ml at 6 weeks, P < 0.05) of serum triglycerides (from 236 +/- 60 to 170 +/- 43, P < 0.01), and a prolongation of the bleeding time (from 5.8 +/- 0.4 min to 7.7 +/- 0.4 min, P < 0.01) in patients treated with ethyl esters. A modest but significant reduction in serum total cholesterol was noticed (from 275 +/- 27 to 252 +/- 24 mg/dl).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
De Caterina
R
R
Laboratory of Thrombosis and Vascular Research, CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, Pisa, Italy.
Caprioli
R
R
Giannessi
D
D
Sicari
R
R
Galli
C
C
Lazzerini
G
G
Bernini
W
W
Carr
L
L
Rindi
P
P
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D015433:Glomerulonephritis, Membranous / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000652:urine; D005923:Glomerulosclerosis, Focal Segmental / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000652:urine; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011507:Proteinuria / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013929:Thromboxane B2 / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine
D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D013929:Thromboxane B2; D002784:Cholesterol