Plasmatic amino acids in kidney transplantation in children.

We studied the evolution of plasma amino acid levels in children with chronic kidney failure after undergoing a renal transplantation. Plasma amino acid profile was studied in 10 children just before surgery, at admission in paediatric intensive care unit and 4, 8, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h after transplantation. Previous to the graft, plasma levels of glutamic acid (p < 0.01), hydroxyproline (p < 0.01), citrulline (p < 0.01) and arginine (p < 0.05) were significantly increased, whereas plasma levels of serine (p < 0.01), glutamine (p < 0.03), threonine (p < 0.01), tyrosine (p < 0.01), valine (p < 0.01), leucine (p < 0.01), tryptophan (p < 0.01), branched amino acids (BCAA) (p < 0.01), aromatic amino acids (AAA) (p < 0.01) and essential amino acids (EAA) (p < 0.01) were decreased in relation to control children. The amino acid profile evolution run parallel to the settle down of renal function parameters. Within 72 h after surgery, even before in some cases, all amino acids except tryptophan and arginine reached normal levels.