Endothelial functions improve with decrease in asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) levels after renal transplantation.
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.
Yilmaz
Mahmut Ilker
MI
Department of Radiology, Gülhane School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. mahmutiyilmaz@yahoo.com
Saglam
Mutlu
M
Caglar
Kayser
K
Cakir
Erdinc
E
Ozgurtas
Taner
T
Sonmez
Alper
A
Eyileten
Tayfun
T
Yenicesu
Mujdat
M
Acikel
Cengizhan
C
Oguz
Yusuf
Y
Ozcan
Omer
O
Bozlar
Ugur
U
Erbil
Kemal
K
Aslan
Ismail
I
Vural
Abdulgaffar
A
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
D015415:Biomarkers; D001786:Blood Glucose; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D008055:Lipids; C487735:dimethylarginine; D016572:Cyclosporine; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D001120:Arginine; D016559:Tacrolimus