Lipofuscin products, lipid peroxides and aluminum accumulation in red blood cells of hemodialyzed patients.

This study examines whether there is a relationship between aluminum overload and the accumulation of lipofuscin products (aging pigments) and lipid peroxides in red blood cells (RBC) of hemodialyzed patients. Lipid peroxides levels were assessed by the thiobarbituric acid reactivity; lipofuscin products were assessed by determining fluorescence in the lipid extracts at excitation 360 nm and emission 440 nm. Aluminum was measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Controls were age-matched normal volunteers. Data show that there was a significant increase in the lipid peroxides and lipofuscin products in hemodialyzed patients compared with controls even after normalization with hemoglobin or phospholipids in RBC. Further, the increase in the lipid peroxides and lipofuscin products significantly correlated with the levels of aluminum accumulation in RBC of hemodialyzed patients. This study suggests that aluminum overload has a role in increased membrane peroxidation, which in turn can cause reduced RBC life span and contribute to anemia in chronic renal failure patients.