Consequences of low plasma histidine in chronic kidney disease patients: associations with inflammation, oxidative stress, and mortality.
BACKGROUND
Histidine is considered as an antiinflammatory and antioxidant factor. Histidine deficiency may contribute to an impaired nutritional state in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).


OBJECTIVE
We aimed to investigate the consequences of plasma histidine deficiency in CKD patients.


METHODS
CKD patients (n = 325; 203 M) with a median age of 54 y (range: 19-70 y) were evaluated shortly before the beginning of renal replacement therapy. The median glomerular filtration rate was 6.4 mL/min (range: 0.8-14.5 mL/min). Nutritional status was assessed by subjective global assessment. Survival was followed for up to 60 mo; 101 patients died.


RESULTS
Plasma histidine concentrations were significantly lower in CKD patients with history of cardiovascular disease, presence of plaques, protein-energy wasting, and inflammation. Plasma histidine was negatively associated with age, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, leukocytes, thrombocytes, fibrinogen, hepatocyte growth factor, adhesion molecules, insulin-like growth factor-1, and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine and was positively associated with handgrip strength, hemoglobin, S-albumin and fetuin-A. A multivariate regression analysis showed that histidine concentrations were independently associated with hepatocyte growth factor, hemoglobin, and fetuin-A. In unadjusted analysis, a low histidine concentration was associated with all-cause mortality (log rank chi-square test = 8.9; P = 0.002). After adjustment for age, sex, cardiovascular disease, inflammation, diabetes mellitus, serum S-albumin, and amino acid supplementation, the association between low histidine and mortality remained significant (hazard ratio: 1.55; 95% CI: 1.02, 2.40; P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Low plasma concentrations of histidine are associated with protein-energy wasting, inflammation, oxidative stress, and greater mortality in CKD patients.
Watanabe
Makoto
M
Divisions of Renal Medicine and Baxter Novum, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Suliman
Mohamed E
ME
Qureshi
Abdul Rashid
AR
Garcia-Lopez
Elvia
E
Bárány
Peter
P
Heimbürger
Olof
O
Stenvinkel
Peter
P
Lindholm
Bengt
B
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005919:Glomerular Filtration Rate; D006639:Histidine / Q000097:blood* / Q000172:deficiency*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D017582:Renal Replacement Therapy; D016019:Survival Analysis; D019282:Wasting Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology
D000596:Amino Acids; D006639:Histidine; D002097:C-Reactive Protein