Erythropoietin treatment and amino acid metabolism in hemodialysis patients

• Published in: Nephron (2015) Vol. 65; no. 4; p. 533
• Main Authors: Garibotto, G, Gurreri, G, Robaudo, C, Saffioti, S, Magnasco, A, Sofia, A, Marchelli, M, Sala, M R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland 1993
• Subjects: Adult; Amino Acids, Essential - blood; Amino Acids, Essential - metabolism; Analysis of Variance; Erythropoietin - therapeutic use; Female; Hemoglobins - analysis; Humans; Kidney Failure, Chronic - blood; Kidney Failure, Chronic - metabolism; Kidney Failure, Chronic - therapy; Male; Middle Aged; Nutrition Disorders - drug therapy; Nutrition Disorders - metabolism; Recombinant Proteins - therapeutic use; Renal Dialysis; Time Factors
• ISSN: 1660-8151
• DOI: 10.1159/000187559

A previous report suggests that treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin (rH-EPO) significantly improves many abnormalities in circulating amino acids (AA) in hemodialysis patients. We evaluated the effects of a 12-month treatment with rH-EPO (150-250 U/kg/week) on blood AA levels in 10 patients with chronic renal failure under regular dialytic treatment. During treatment, hemoglobin levels increased from 7.0 +/- 0.3 to 10.1 +/- 0.3 g/dl at 3 months remaining steady thereafter. Before the treatment, patients showed reduced levels of essential AA (EAA), mainly valine, leucine and threonine (p < 0.05-0.01); among non-EAA (NEAA), aspartate and serine were reduced, whereas glycine, alanine, proline, citrulline and cyst(e)ine were increased (p < 0.05-0.001). Val/Gly, Ser/Gly and Tyr/Phe ratios were low (p < 0.05-0.01). Total EAA and total NEAA (619 +/- 21 and 1,382 +/- 75 mumol/l, respectively, before the study) were unchanged (639 +/- 22 and 1,410 +/- 89 mumol/l, respectively) at 12 months. Abnormalities in AA levels observed before the treatment persisted throughout the study. Only serine increased at the end of the study (p < 0.05). In conclusion, contrary to what has been reported, treatment with rH-EPO is not associated with an amelioration of AA metabolism in hemodialysis patients.