title: Effect of chronic renal hemodialysis on serum total, free and acyl carnitine concentrations in adult chronic pyelonephritis patients.
abstract: In the present study, serum total (TC), free (FC), and acyl (AC) carnitine levels were investigated in 20 healthy controls (13 males and 7 females) and 27 patients (10 males and 17 females) with chronic pyelonephritis (CPN) undergoing regular chronic hemodialysis (CHD). The results showed that CHD treatment in CPN patients displays significantly decreased serum L-carnitine levels. The mean predialysis serum TC, FC, and AC (48 +/- 8, 42 +/- 6.3 and 13 +/- 2.7 nmol/ml, respectively) were not significantly different from the mean healthy control serum TC, FC and AC (50 +/- 7.1, 46 +/- 6.1 and 10 +/- 2.1 nmol/ml, respectively) (p < 0.1). However, after CHD, a significant decrease in serum TC, FC and AC levels (21.2 +/- 4.2, 17.1 +/- 3.1 and 6.1 +/- 2.4 nmol/ml, respectively) was observed compared to the values in both predialysis (48 +/- 8, 42 +/- 6.3 and 13 +/- 2.7 nmol/ ml, respectively) and healthy controls (50 +/- 7.1, 46 +/- 6.1 and 10 +/- 2.1 nmol/ml, respectively), (p < 0.001). Serum TC, FC and AC levels of male (49 +/- 5.5, 44 +/- 6.1 and 9.5 +/- 2.1 nmol/ml, respectively) and female (47.8 +/- 6.2, 38.5 +/- 9.3 and 9.7 +/- 2.3 nmol/l, respectively) healthy controls, and male (45.6 +/- 6.7, 44.1 +/- 5.1 and 12.3 +/- 1.5 nmol/ml, respectively) and female (46 +/- 5.1, 39 +/- 5.7 and 11.7 +/- 2.2 nmol/ml, respectively) predialysis patients showed no significant difference (p < 0.1). However, after CHD, serum TC, FC and AC levels of male (22.5 +/- 2.7, 16.8 +/- 3.9 and 5.1 +/- 2.1 nmol/ml, respectively) and female (19.5 +/- 2.4, 15.2 +/- 1.41 and 5.7 +/- 2.7 nmol/ml, respectively) patients were significantly decreased, compared with predialysis values (p < 0.001). After CHD, the ratio of serum AC to FC (0.47 +/- 0.03) was significantly increased compared with both healthy controls (0.3 +/- 0.03) and predialysis patients (0.32 +/- 0.03) (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively). Comparatively, the ratio of serum AC to FC was increased significantly after CHD (males, 0.45 +/- 0.02 and females, 0.41 +/- 0.03) when compared with both gender healthy controls (males, 0.29 +/- 0.052 and females, 0.26 +/- 0.033) and both gender predialysis patients (males, 0.33 +/- 0.02 and females 0.28 +/- 0.01), (p < 0.001). A possible physiological consequence of this finding remains unclear.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, King Saud University, College of Science, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Alhomida
mesh_terms: D000215:Acylation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers; D002331:Carnitine / Q000097:blood* / Q000737:chemistry; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D011704:Pyelonephritis / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D014508:Urea / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014508:Urea; D002331:Carnitine