Association between pentosidine and arteriosclerosis in patients receiving hemodialysis.

It has been suggested that advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) accumulate in arteriosclerotic lesions, playing an important role in the development and progression of arteriosclerosis. A chemical quantification method using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been established to determine pentosidine levels in these products. Some studies reported that the abdominal aorta calcification index (ACI), obtained by computed tomography (CT), was useful for noninvasively diagnosing arteriosclerosis and determining its severity. In the present study, we measured the ACI and plasma pentosidine in patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis, and investigated the association between arteriosclerosis and pentosidine.