HOMOCYST(E)INE AND ARTERIAL OCCLUSIVE DISEASES

Homocysteine is a thiol-containing amino acid resulting from demethylation of methionine. The free and protein-bound forms of the amino acid and derived disulfides are called homocyst(e)ine [H(e)]. Multiple studies have shown elevated H(e) levels in patients with coronary, cerebrovascular, or peripheral arterial diseases; this association is frequent and independent of most other risk factors for atherosclerosis. In the 1993 Frontiers in Medicine Symposium* investigators discussed the genetic, physiological, nutritional, and pharmacological mechanisms involved in the regulation of plasma H(e), the association of H(e) with arterial occlusive diseases, and the relationships of H(e) with nitric oxide and haemostasis. High plasma H(e) levels usually can be reversed with vitamin supplements. Whether vitamin supplements will affect the evolution of arterial occlusive diseases needs to be established in prospective, placebo-controlled, randomized, clinical trials.