Role of Lipoprotein (a) and TGF-β1 in Atherosclerosis of Hemodialysis Patients

Abstract . Atherosclerotic vascular disease is a major cause of death for uremic patients who are on hemodialysis (HD). Recent evidence suggests that lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] may aggravate atherosclerosis by inhibiting activation of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). Plasma Lp(a) and plasma TGF-β1 activation in HD patients ( n = 51), chronic renal failure patients not subjected to hemodialysis (non-HD-CRF; n = 12), and healthy volunteers (control; n = 13) were investigated. Plasma Lp(a) was significantly higher in HD (18.75 ± 1.62 mg/ml) and non-HD-CRF patients (25.0 ± 8.4 mg/ml) than in control subjects (10.9 ± 5.8 mg/ml). The degree of atherosclerosis in HD patients was assessed by measuring the intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaque score with the use of an ultrasound scanner. IMT and plaque score were higher in HD and non-HD-CRF patients than in controls. A significant positive correlation was found in HD patients between Lp(a) and IMT ( r = 0.377, P r = 0.43, P