Copper, Zinc, Lipids and Lipid peroxidation Abnormalities in Patients with Chronic Renal Failure

Abstract

This work was designed to investigate the possible relation between plasma and red blood cell copper and zinc, lipid profile and lipid peroxidase activity in patients suffering from chronic primary renal failure with and without hemodialysis treatment. The study involved 18 patients with chronic primary renal failure under conservative treatment (group A), 36 patients with chronic primary renal failure under hemodialysis treatment (group B) and 23 normal controls (group C). All the groups’ members were subjected to full history, clinical examination and to measurement of serum total lipids, total cholesterol, triacylglycerols, phospholipids, lipoprotein pattern, as well as plasma and red blood cell copper and zinc and plasma peroxidase activity. We detected high peroxidase activity in groups A and B as compared to group C and the values of group A were even higher than group B (P<0.001). The renal failure groups (A&B) showed higher levels of serum total lipids, total cholesterol, triacylglycerols and β-lipoprotein but lower alpha-lipoproteins as compared to normal controls, but no difference in phospholipids levels was found. However, group B showed higher total lipids and lower alpha-lipoprotein levels than group A. there was significantly higher plasma and red blood cell copper and lower plasma and red blood cell zinc in both groups A and B as compared to normal (P<0.001). Peroxidase activity expressed as malondialdehyde is correlated positively with serum creatinine and β-lipoprotein but, negatively with alpha-lipoproteins. It is not correlated with plasma or red blood cell copper nor zinc. Only plasma zinc correlated positively with alpha-lipoprotein and negatively with β-lipoprotein. Plasma copper is correlated positively with blood urea. It is concluded that hypercupremia and hypozincemia in chronic renal failure (with and without hemodialysis) may be responsible for increased lipid peroxidation and dyslipidemia in renal failure and its correlation could improve atherosclerotic complications in these patients.