Plasma amino acid profiles in children with CAKUT-related renal scarring: Metabolic and biomarker insights.

Objectives: Chronic kidney disease in children, often caused by congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT), can lead to progressive renal scarring and dysfunction. Given the kidneys' role in amino acid homeostasis, plasma amino acid levels may be associated with renal scarring. This study investigates the relationship between plasma amino acid levels and renal scarring in children with CAKUT.

Methods: This cross-sectional study consisted of children aged between 1 month and 18 years who were diagnosed with CAKUT between January 2019 and December 2023. The patients were divided into two groups: Group RS (renal scarring, n = 33) and Group NS (no scarring, n = 32), according to the results of the dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scan. The groups were compared in terms of plasma amino acid levels and the differences in the plasma amino acid levels between the groups.

Results: The median age of the study sample, which consisted of 65 children, 49.2% female and 50.8% male, was 6 [0.1-18.0] years. The plasma levels of essential amino acids, including isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, and valine, as well as non-essential amino acids such as alanine, asparagine, and serine, were significantly higher in Group RS than in Group NS.

Conclusions: The significant changes seen in the plasma amino acid profiles of children with CAKUT, especially the essential amino acid profiles, suggest a potential link between impaired amino acid metabolism and renal scarring in children with CAKUT.