Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Blood levels of homocysteine, cysteine, glutathione, folic acid, and vitamin B12 in the acute phase of atherothrombotic stroke

  • Brief Communication
  • Published:
Neurological Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Blood levels of total homocysteine (tHcy), cysteine (Cys), total and reduced glutathione (tGSH and rGSH), folic acid (FA), and vitamin B12 (B12) change during ischemic stroke as accompaniment of the tissue damage. The relationship between these changes remains scantly investigated. We evaluated the variation of these molecules in the 48 h after acute large artery atherothrombotic stroke (LAAS) and searched for the presence of matched variation of them. The study involved 50 subjects affected by acute LAAS and 49 healthy controls. Plasma levels of tHcy and Cys were significantly higher and serum levels of FA and B12 and plasma levels of rGSH were significantly lower in the patients than in the control group. Acute LAAS was associated with increased Hcy—decreased tGSH and decreased FA/tGSH. Pathways involved in cellular stress and in tissue repair are activated during acute LAAS.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Miller AL (2003) The methionine—homocysteine cycle and its effects on cognitive diseases. Altern Med Rev 8:7–19

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Virtanen JK, Voutilainen S, Happonen P et al (2005) Serum homocysteine, folate and risk of stroke: Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factors (KIHD) study. Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil 12:369–375

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Lindgren A, Brattstrőm L, Norrving B, Hultberg B, Andersson A, Johansson BB (1995) Plasma homocysteine in the acute and convalescent phases after stroke. Stroke 26:795–800

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Wong PT, Qu K, Chimon GN et al (2006) High plasma cyst(e)ine level may indicate poor clinical outcome in patients with acute stroke: possible involvement of hydrogen sulfide. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 65:109–115

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Kocer A, Ince N, Canbulat EC, Sargin M (2004) Serum vitamin B12 and folic acid levels in acute cerebral atherothrombotic infarction. Tohoku J Exp Med 204:155–161

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Christen WG, Ajani UA, Glynn RJ, Hennekens CH (2000) Blood levels of homocysteine and increased risks of cardiovascular disease: causal or casual? Arch Intern Med 160:422–434

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. The Health Outcomes Prevention Evaluation (HOPE) 2 Investigators (2006) Homocysteine lowering with folic acid and B vitamins in vascular disease. New Engl J Med 354:1567–1577

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Adams HP Jr, Bendixen BH, Kappelle LJ, Biller J, Love BB, Gordon DL, Marsh EEIII (1993) Classification of subtype of acute ischemic stroke. Definitions for use in a multicenter clinical trial. Stroke 24:35–41

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Eikelboom JW, Hankey GJ, Anand SS, Lofthouse E, Staples N, Baker RI (2000) Association between high homocysteine and ischemic stroke due to large- and small-artery disease but not other etiologic subtypes of ischemic stroke. Stroke 31:1069–1075

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Warlow CP (1988) Epidemiology of stroke. Stroke 352(Suppl III):1–4

    Google Scholar 

  11. Sheps SG, Dart RA (1998) New guidelines for prevention, detection, evaluation and treatment of hypertension: Joint National Committee VI. Chest 113:263–265

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Richard JL, Sultan A, Daures JP, Vannerean D, Parer-Richard C (2002) Diagnosis of diabetes mellitus and intermediate glucose abnormalities in obese patients based on ADA (1997) and WHO (1985) criteria. Diabet Med 19:292–299

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Ubbink JB, Hayward VW, Bissbort S (1991) Rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic assay for total homocysteine levels in human serum. J Chromatogr 565:441–446

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Norussis MJ (1994) SPSS Advanced Statistics 6.1. SPSS Inc., Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  15. Dudman NP (1999) An alternative view of homocysteine. Lancet 354:2072–2074

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Austin RC, Lentz SR, Werstuck GH (2004) Role of hyperhomocysteinemia in endothelial dysfunction and atherothrombotic disease. Cell Death Differentiation 11:S56–S64

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Qu K, Chen CPLH, Halliwell B, Moore PK, Wong PTH (2006) Hydrogen sulfide is a mediator of cerebral ischaemic damage. Stroke 37:889–893

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Namba K, Takeda Y, Sunami K, Hirakawa M (2001) Temporal profiles of the levels of endogenous antioxidants after four-vessel occlusion in rats. J Neurosurg Anesthesiol 13:131–137

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Warner DS, Sheng H, Batinić-Haberle I (2004) Oxidants, antioxidants and the ischemic brain. J Exp Biol 207:3221–3231

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Neurology, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Palermo, Via Gaetano La Loggia 1, 90129, Palermo, Italy

    Giuseppe Salemi, M. D’Amelio, V. Saia, P. Mangiapane, P. Aridon, P. Ragonese & I. Lupo

  2. Department of Biochemical Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy

    M. C. Gueli

Authors
  1. Giuseppe Salemi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. C. Gueli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M. D’Amelio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. V. Saia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. P. Mangiapane
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. P. Aridon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. P. Ragonese
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. I. Lupo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Giuseppe Salemi.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Salemi, G., Gueli, M.C., D’Amelio, M. et al. Blood levels of homocysteine, cysteine, glutathione, folic acid, and vitamin B12 in the acute phase of atherothrombotic stroke. Neurol Sci 30, 361–364 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-009-0090-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-009-0090-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation