Endothelial dysfunction during acute methionine load in hyperhomocysteinaemic patients

Hyperhomocysteinaemia has been addociated with arterial and verous thrombos is possibly by causing damage to the endothelium, We hypothesized that an o ral load in methionine, that increases plasma homocysteine, would also resu lt in an increase in biological markers of endothelial or platelet dysfunct ion. Then we investigated 2 groups of patients with arterial or venous occl usive disease: 17 with hyperhomocysteinemia and 12 withour hyperhomocystein emia. We measured in both groups plasma soluble thrombomodulin, von Willebr and factor, P-selectin and tissue factor plasma inhibitor before and 6 hour s after a load with 100 mg/kg oral methionine. Methionine load resulted in a significant increase in von Willebrand factor in both groups (p < 0.02), suggesting that endothelial dysfunction occurs during the load.