FIRST EVIDENCE FOR ACCUMULATION OF PROTEIN-BOUND AND PROTEIN-FREE PYRRALINE IN HUMAN UREMIC PLASMA BY MASS-SPECTROMETRY

Glucose-derived advanced glycation end products (AGEs) cross-link prot eins and cause various biological tissue damage. One of them, pyrralin e formyl-5-hydroxymethyl-pyrrol-1-yl)-L-norleucine], has been demonstr ated by utilizing antibody to accumulate in plasma and sclerosed matri x of diabetic individuals, suggesting responsibility for diabetic comp lications. To elucidate the involvement of pyrraline in uremia, we exa mined the pyrraline levels in patients with chronic renal failure by a mass spectrometric approach. Here we show that protein-free pyrraline as well as pyrraline with binding protein are significantly increased in non-diabetic uremic plasma compared to healthy subjects. Our resul ts suggest that circulating pyrraline could be a substance contributin g to complications in uremia. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.