Background. Several cardiovascular risk factors are present in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF), among which are systemic inflammation and hyperhomocysteinemia. Increased oxidative stress, endothelial activation/dysfunction, and coagulation activation are considered integral components of the inflammatory response, but have also been proposed as mediators of plasma homocysteine (tHcy)-induced cell damage. Using correlation analysis, we assessed the relative contributions of inflammation and hyperhomocysteinemia in the abnormal oxidative stress, endothelial activation/dysfunction, and hemostasis activation in patients with CRF. Methods. The relationships of inflammatory proteins and tHcy with plasma markers of these processes were studied in 64 patients with CRF (serum creatinine 526 +/- 319 mu mol/L) on conservative treatment, comparing the results with healthy controls (N=15 to 40, depending on the measured variable) of similar sex and age. Results. Patients had significant increases in inflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha and IL-8) and acute-phase proteins (C-reactive protein, fibrinogen and al-antitrypsin). tHcy was increased in 87.5% of patients (mean=27.1 mu mol/L, range 6.5 to 118). Patients had significant increases in (1) indices of oxidative stress: TBARS (thiobarbituric acid-reactive species), a marker of lipid peroxidation and AOPP (advanced oxidation protein products), a marker of protein oxidation; (2) endothelial cell markers such as von Willebrand factor (vWF:Ag), soluble ICAM-1 and soluble thrombomodulin (sTM); (3) markers of intravascular thrombin generation: thrombin-antithrombin complexes (TAT) and prothrombin fragment F1+2 (PF1+2); and (4) indices of activation of fibrinolysis: plasmin-antiplasmin complexes (PAP), fibrin degradation products (FnDP) and fibrinogen degradation products (FgDP). tHcy was significantly correlated with plasma creatinine (r=0.29, P<0.018) and with serum folate (r=-0.38, P<0.002). However, no significant correlations were observed between tHcy and TBARS, AOPP, vWF:Ag, sICAM-1, sTM, TAT, F1+2, sTF, PAP, FnDP, and FgDP. Conversely, acute-phase proteins showed significant, positive correlations with most markers of oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction and hemostatic activation. Conclusions. Systemic inflammation, which is closely associated with augmented oxidative stress, endothelial cell dysfunction and hemostatic activation, emerges as a major cardiovascular risk factor in CRF. tHcy is unrelated to these events. Thus, alternative mechanisms through which hyperhomocysteinemia could predispose to vascular lesion and thrombotic events in CRF needs to be investigated.
