Hypoalbuminemia accelerates erythrocyte membrane lipid peroxidation in chronic hemodialysis patients

Background: Persistent hypoalbuminemia is a long-term poor prognostic facto r in chronic hemodialysis patients. Patients and methods: We investigated t he correlation between the degree of peroxidation of erythrocyte membrane l ipids, erythrocyte ex tocopherol content, erythrocyte glutathione peroxidas e activity and serum albumin concentration in twelve patients with uremia n ot undergoing hemodialysis and fifteen patients on maintenance hemodialysis . Results: The glutathione peroxidase activity in erythrocytes was higher i n patients of uremia not undergoing hemodialysis than in chronic hemodialys is patients. A significant negative correlation was observed between the er ythrocyte a tocopherol content and the degree of erythrocyte membrane lipid peroxidation in chronic hemodialysis patients. There was a statistically s ignificant difference in the degree of erythrocyte membrane lipid peroxidat ion between patients with chronic hemodialysis-associated hypoalbuminemia a nd chronic hemodialysis patients having normal serum albumin levels. Conclu sion: This study suggested that serum albumin inhibits peroxidation of eryt hrocyte membrane lipids and that hemodialysis induces recovery of serum red uctivity. We conclude that persistent hypoalbuminemia worsens the serum ant ioxidant activity in chronic hemodialysis patients and may contribute to in creased oxidative cell damage.