title: Endothelial functions improve with decrease in asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) levels after renal transplantation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with increased cardiovascular events. The relationships between the markers of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction were investigated both before and after living donor kidney transplantation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-seven renal transplant patients were studied. Eleven patients (six male, five female) were on cyclosporine A, whereas 16 patients (nine male, seven female) were treated with tacrolimus based regimes. Twenty-seven subjects (12 males, 15 females) were studied as controls. Plasma adiponectin, high sensitive C reactive protein (hsCRP), Asymetric dimethyl arginine (ADMA) levels were studied before transplantation and on days 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28. The brachial artery flow mediated dilatation (FMD) was studied before transplantation and on the 28th day.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum hsCRP and ADMA levels decreased significantly from the first posttransplantation day on each measurement (P<0.001 for all) while the decrement of plasma adiponectin started in the third day (P<0.001 for all). The FMD was lower in the patients than the control group (P<0.001) and improved significantly in the 28th day of transplantation (P<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicate that ADMA is associated with FMD in CKD both before and after kidney transplantation. Endothelial functions improve at the very beginning of the posttransplantation period with accompanying reduction in ADMA and hsCRP levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Gülhane School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. mahmutiyilmaz@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Mahmut Ilker
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
authors.forename: Mutlu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saglam
authors.forename: Kayser
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Caglar
authors.forename: Erdinc
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cakir
authors.forename: Taner
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ozgurtas
authors.forename: Alper
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sonmez
authors.forename: Tayfun
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Eyileten
authors.forename: Mujdat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yenicesu
authors.forename: Cengizhan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Acikel
authors.forename: Yusuf
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Oguz
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ozcan
authors.forename: Ugur
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Bozlar
authors.forename: Kemal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Erbil
authors.forename: Ismail
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Aslan
authors.forename: Abdulgaffar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vural
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D019520:Living Donors; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016559:Tacrolimus / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D001786:Blood Glucose; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D008055:Lipids; C487735:dimethylarginine; D016572:Cyclosporine; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D001120:Arginine; D016559:Tacrolimus