The effect of mesna on plasma total homocysteine concentration in hemodialysis patients.
BACKGROUND
Plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) level is an independent risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis. The degree of risk in most of the population is decreased by using dietary vitamin supplementation; however, more than 90% of patients with end-stage renal disease have increased tHcy levels despite supplementation. Only a small fraction of tHcy is removed by hemodialysis because of extensive disulfide bonding to albumin. The objective of this study is to determine whether a single intravenous dose of mesna, a thiol-containing drug analogue of taurine, facilitates tHcy clearance during hemodialysis.


METHODS
Initial in vitro thiol exchange tests were performed with mesna in plasma from dialysis patients. Mesna, 300 micromol/L (49.2 mg/L), was incubated with plasma at 37 degrees C, and free homocysteine was measured at various times. In vivo, mesna activity was tested in 10 hemodialysis patients by administering 2.5 or 5.0 mg/kg of mesna intravenously at the beginning of a treatment cycle. Blood samples were drawn throughout dialysis, and plasma tHcy levels were compared with those obtained from a previous dialysis session in which mesna was not administered.


RESULTS
In vitro, mesna liberated 36.5% +/- 2.5% of protein-bound homocysteine in 30 minutes. In vivo, a single 2.5-mg/kg dose of mesna was ineffective; however, at 5.0 mg/kg, it caused a 55.2% +/- 3.9% decrease in plasma tHcy levels postdialysis compared with a 34.2% +/- 5.3% decrease with dialysis alone (P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Intravenous mesna causes a rapid decrease in plasma tHcy levels during hemodialysis.
Urquhart
Bradley L
BL
Department of Medicine, University of Western Ontario, Canada.
Freeman
David J
DJ
Spence
J David
JD
House
Andrew A
AA
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D015080:Mesna / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D006435:Renal Dialysis
D006710:Homocysteine; D015080:Mesna