Hormonal regulation of energy-protein homeostasis in hemodialysis patients: an anorexigenic profile that may predispose to adverse cardiovascular outcomes.

To assess whether endocrine dysfunction may cause derangement in energy homeostasis in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD), we profiled hormones, during a 3-day period, from the adipose tissue and the gut and the nervous system around the circadian clock in 10 otherwise healthy HD patients and 8 normal controls. The protocol included a 40-h fast. We also measured energy-protein intake and output and assessed appetite and body composition. We found many hormonal abnormalities in HD patients: 1) leptin levels were elevated, due, in part, to increased production, and nocturnal surge in response to daytime feeding, exaggerated. 2) Peptide YY (PYY), an anorexigenic gut hormone, was markedly elevated and displayed an augmented response to feeding. 3) Acylated ghrelin, an orexigenic gut hormone, was lower and did not exhibit the premeal spike as observed in the controls. 4) neuropeptide Y (NPY), a potent orexigenic peptide, was markedly elevated and did not display any circadian variation. 5) Norepinephrine, marginally elevated, did not exhibit the normal nocturnal dip. By contrast, α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone and glucagon-like peptide-1 were not different between the two groups. Despite these hormonal abnormalities, HD patients maintained a good appetite and had normal body lean and fat mass, and there was no evidence of increased energy expenditure or protein catabolism. We explain the hormonal abnormalities as well as the absence of anorexia on suppression of parasympathetic activity (vagus nerve dysfunction), a phenomenon well documented in dialysis patients. Unexpectedly, we noted that the combination of high leptin, PYY, and NPY with suppressed ghrelin may increase arterial blood pressure, impair vasodilatation, and induce cardiac hypertrophy, and thus could predispose to adverse cardiovascular events that are the major causes of morbidity and mortality in the HD population. This is the first report attempting to link hormonal abnormalities associated with energy homeostasis to adverse cardiovascular outcome in the HD patients.

A powerful new agonist: flooding the system with growth hormone.

Niemczyk et al. treated predialysis chronic kidney disease patients with a new growth hormone-releasing hormone agonist, AKL-0707, and noted important changes in body composition characterized by an increase in fat-free mass, a modest rise in bone mineral content, and a reduction in fat mass. These changes were accompanied by a reduction in both serum urea nitrogen and normalized protein nitrogen appearance rate, while dietary protein intake was unchanged. Importantly, there were no serious adverse events.

Amino Acid and protein kinetics in renal failure: an integrated approach.

Even apparently healthy patients on dialysis have significant loss of lean body mass. Patients with chronic renal failure without coexisting metabolic acidosis or inflammation have decreased protein turnover, with balanced reduction in protein synthesis and breakdown. However, regional and whole-body protein kinetic studies indicate that hemodialysis (HD) induces net increase in protein breakdown. Whole-body protein turnover studies show that HD is associated with decreased protein synthesis, but proteolysis is not increased. Muscle protein kinetics studies, however, identify enhanced muscle protein breakdown with inadequate compensatory increases in synthesis as the cause of the catabolism. Transmembrane amino acid-transport kinetics studies show that the outward transport is increased more than the inward transport of amino acids during HD. Altered intracellular amino acid transport kinetics and protein turnover during HD could be caused by the loss of amino acids in the dialysate or cytokine activation. Cytokines may be released from peripheral blood mononuclear cells and skeletal muscle during HD. Preliminary evidence indicates that intradialytic increase in cytokines activates the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. An intradialytic increase in albumin and fibrinogen synthesis is facilitated by interleukin-6 and the constant supply of amino acids derived from skeletal muscle catabolism. Protein anabolism can be induced in end-stage renal disease patients by repletion of amino acids, and perhaps treatment with recombinant human insulin-like growth factor.

Does hemodialysis increase protein breakdown? Dissociation between whole-body amino acid turnover and regional muscle kinetics.

Hemodialysis (HD) is a protein catabolic procedure. Whole-body amino acid turnover studies identify dialysate amino acid loss and reduced protein synthesis as the catabolic events; proteolysis is not increased. Regional amino acid kinetics, however, document enhanced muscle protein breakdown as the cause of the catabolism; muscle protein synthesis also increased but to a lesser magnitude than the increment in protein breakdown. This discordance between whole-body and regional kinetics is best explained by the contrasting physiology between the muscle and the liver. During HD, muscle releases amino acids, which then are taken up by the liver for de novo protein synthesis. There seems to be a somatic to visceral recycling of amino acids. Evidence supporting this concept includes the increased fractional synthesis of albumin and fibrinogen during HD. It should be emphasized that region- or organ-specific kinetics vary, and whole-body turnover is a composite of all of the visceral and somatic compartments taken together. Reduced whole-body protein synthesis may be a compensatory adaptation to dialysate amino acid loss with a consequent reduction in plasma amino acid concentration. Notwithstanding the protein catabolic nature of HD, evidence is accumulating that intradialytic nutritional supplementation may blunt its catabolic effect.

Hormonal responses to fasting and refeeding in chronic renal failure patients.

To study anorexia in chronic renal failure (CRF) patients, we measured appetite-related hormones in seven CRF patients and four controls. Plasma concentrations and fractional changes from baseline (values from day 1, 0800) are listed as control vs. CRF (means +/- SE). Leptin, although higher in CRF (5.6 +/- 1.7 and 34 +/- 17 ng/ml), was suppressed after fasting; decrements were -51 +/- 9 and -55 +/- 8%. Nocturnal surge present during feeding was abolished upon fasting in both groups. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) was elevated in CRF (72 +/- 12 vs. 304 +/- 28 pg/ml, P = 0.0002). NPY rhythm, reciprocal to that of leptin, was muted in CRF. Basal cortisol was similar in both groups (17 +/- 3 and 17 +/- 2 microg/dl). In the controls, cortisol peaked in the morning and declined in the evening. CRF showed blunted cortisol suppression. Decrements were -61 +/- 3 and -20 +/- 9% at 1800 on day 1 (P = 0.008) and -61 +/- 8 and -26 +/- 8% at 2000 on day 2 (P = 0.02). Basal ACTH (25 +/- 5 and 54 +/- 16 pg/ml) as well as diurnal pattern was not statistically different between the groups. Baseline insulin was 6 +/- 1 and 20 +/- 9 microU/ml. During fasting, insulin was suppressed to -64 +/- 10 and -51 +/- 9%, respectively. Upon refeeding, increments were 277 +/- 96 and 397 +/- 75%. Thus, in our CRF patients, anorexia was not due to excess leptin or deficient NPY. Impaired cortisol suppression should favor eating. Insulin suppression during fasting and secretion after feeding should enhance both eating and anabolism. The constant high NPY suggests increased tonic hypersecretion.

Insulin is protein-anabolic in chronic renal failure patients.

To examine the protein anabolic actions of insulin in chronic renal failure, the authors measured four sets of whole body leucine fluxes during insulin alone and insulin with amino acid infusion in nine uremic patients before hemodialysis (B-HD). Seven were restudied 8 wk after initiation of maintenance hemodialysis (HD). Six normal subjects served as control (N). All values ( micro mol/kg/h, mean +/- SEM) are presented in the sequence of B-HD, HD, and N, and only P < 0.05 are listed. During Flux 1 (baseline), D (leucine release from body protein degradation) were 114 +/- 7, 126 +/- 4, and 116 +/- 6, respectively. C (leucine oxidation rates) were 18 +/- 2, 17 +/- 2, and 21 +/- 3, respectively. S (leucine disappearance into body protein [index of protein synthesis]) were 96 +/- 6, 107 +/- 4, and 94 +/- 4, respectively, and balances (net leucine flux into protein [values were negative during fasting]) were -18 +/- 2, -17 +/- 2, and -21 +/- 3, respectively. During Flux 2 (low-dose insulin infusion), D were 89 +/- 3, 98 +/- 6, and 94 +/- 5, respectively; C were 12 +/- 1, 11 +/- 2, and 18 +/- 1, respectively (P = 0.02); S were 77 +/- 4, 87 +/- 5, and 76 +/- 5, respectively, and balances were -12 +/- 1, -11 +/- 2, and -18 +/- 1, respectively (P = 0.02). During Flux 3 (high-dose insulin infusion): D were 77 +/- 3, 82 +/- 7, and 84 +/- 5, respectively; C were 9 +/- 1, 8 +/- 1, and 14 +/- 1, respectively (P = 0.005); S were 68 +/- 4, 74 +/- 6, and 70 +/- 5, respectively, and balances were -9 +/- 1, -8 +/- 1, and -14 +/- 1, respectively (P = 0.005). In Flux 4 (insulin infused with amino acids): D were 73 +/- 3, 107 +/- 18, and 85 +/- 7, respectively; C were 35 +/- 4, 29 +/- 5, and 39 +/- 3, respectively; S were 105 +/- 5, 145 +/- 15, and 113 +/- 6, respectively (P = 0.02), and balances were 32 +/- 4, 38 +/- 5, and 27 +/- 3, respectively. These data show that B-HD and HD patients were as sensitive as normal subjects to the protein anabolic actions of insulin. Insulin alone reduced proteolysis and leucine oxidation, and insulin given with amino acids increased net protein synthesis.