It has been suggested that advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) accumulate in arteriosclerotic lesions, playing an important role in the development and progression of arteriosclerosis. A chemical quantification method using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been established to determine pentosidine levels in these products. Some studies reported that the abdominal aorta calcification index (ACI), obtained by computed tomography (CT), was useful for noninvasively diagnosing arteriosclerosis and determining its severity. In the present study, we measured the ACI and plasma pentosidine in patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis, and investigated the association between arteriosclerosis and pentosidine.
Methods
In 73 patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis (43 men; 30 women), we determined the ACI, and investigated the association of the ACI with plasma total pentosidine, total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, serum creatinine, and parathyroid hormone (PTH), as well as the product of serum calcium and serum phosphorus, duration of dialysis, and age.Results
The ACI did not correlate with total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, serum creatinine, PTH, or the product of serum calcium and serum phosphorus. Age, duration of dialysis, and plasma total pentosidine correlated with the ACI: (y = –33.12 + 0.913x;
r = 0.407;
P 
0.01), (y = 13.94 + 0.403x;
r = 0.488;
P 0.01), and (y = 14.13 + 0.630x;
r = 0.365;
P 0.01), respectively.
Conclusions
It is suggested that pentosidine may be associated with arteriosclerotic development in hemodialysis patients.Key words Abdominal aortic calcification index (ACI) - Advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) - Chronic renal failure - Hemodialysis - Pentosidine