The role of cysteine and homocysteine in venous and arterial thrombotic disease.
Hyperhomocysteinemia is a risk factor for arterial and venous thrombosis, whereas few data are available on the total cysteine (tCy) levels in thrombophilic patients. We studied 82 patients with a previous myocardial infarction (MI; group 1), 68 patients with a previous deep venous thrombosis (group 2), and 100 control subjects (group 3). We assayed total homocysteine (tHcy) and tCy levels by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection. The odds ratios (ORs) for high levels of tCy and tHcy in venous thrombosis and MI were markedly increased in group 1 (fasting tCy: OR, 3.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6-11.2; postmethionine tCy: OR, 0.97; CI, 0.3-4.0; fasting tHcy: OR, 8.3; CI, 3.9-18.6; postmethionine tHcy: OR, 12.5; CI, 6.8-27.2) and in group 2 (fasting tCy: OR, 2.9; CI, 1.1-7.8; postmethionine tCy: OR, 0.86; CI 0.2-2.6; fasting tHcy: OR, 8.0; CI 3.6-18.0; postmethionine tHcy: OR, 11.0; CI, 6.0-22.1). Our data suggest that plasma tCy levels are a risk factor for venous thrombosis and MI independently of tHcy levels and that it may be appropriate to study both variables simultaneously to thoroughly study the methionine metabolism.
Marcucci
R
R
Dipartimento Area Critica Medico-Chirurgica, Sez. Clinica Medica Gen e Cardiologia, University of Florence, Viale Morgagni, 85, 50134 Florence, Italy.
Brunelli
T
T
Giusti
B
B
Fedi
S
S
Pepe
G
G
Poli
D
D
Prisco
D
D
Abbate
R
R
Gensini
G F
GF
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001158:Arteries; D003545:Cysteine / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D005215:Fasting / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008715:Methionine; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000097:blood; D012016:Reference Values; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology
D006710:Homocysteine; D008715:Methionine; D003545:Cysteine