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Dryad

Serum Endocannabinoid Levels in Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease

Cite this dataset

Moradi, Hamid et al. (2019). Serum Endocannabinoid Levels in Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.7280/D18W95

Abstract

Context: Previous studies have shown that the endocannabinoid system plays a major role in energy metabolism through the actions of its main mediators, 2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycerol (2-AG) and anandamide (AEA).

Objective: We examined serum levels of major endocannabinoid mediators and their association with clinical parameters in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

Design and Setting: Serum concentrations of 2-AG and AEA were measured in patients on maintenance hemodialysis (MHD), and correlations with various clinical and laboratory indices were examined. For comparison of levels in patients undergoing MHD, 2-AG was also measured in age and sex-matched healthy subjects.

Main Outcome Measure: Serum 2-AG.

Results: Serum 2-AG levels were significantly elevated in patients with ESRD compared with healthy controls. Highest levels of 2-AG were found in patients on MHD, and similar findings were seen in a second set of subjects in independent analyses. Among 96 patients on MHD, 2-AG levels correlated significantly and positively with serum triglycerides (ρ=0.43; P <0.0001), body mass index (ρ=0.40; P <0.0001), and body anthropometric measures and negatively with serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (ρ= -0.33; P =0.001) following adjustment for demographic and clinical variables.

Conclusions: In patients on MHD, levels of serum 2-AG, a major endocannabinoid mediator, were increased. In addition, increasing serum 2-AG levels correlated with increased serum triglycerides and markers of body mass. Future studies will need to evaluate the potential mechanisms responsible for these findings.