The effect of dietary enrichment with fish-oil on urinary excretion of N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase and renal function in proteinuric patients with primary glomerulopathies.

The rate of progression of renal disease depends on many factors including serum lipids and tubulo-interstitial injury. Aim of the study was to see whether fish-oil therapy may affect serum lipids and NAG excretion with urine (a marker of tubular cell damage) in humans with renal disease. The effects of dietary fish-oil fatty acids on the serum lipids, NAG urinary excretion and serum arachidonic acid concentration were examined in thirteen primary glomerulonephritic patients with proteinuria and normal renal function. The regular diet enriched with 1650 mg n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (18%: 20:5; n-3 EPA and 12%: 22:5; n-3 DHA) was ingested for three months. At the end of fish-oil enriched diet neither creatinine clearance nor urinary protein excretion changed significantly. But serum concentration of HDL and arachidonic acid increased (48.0 +/- 15 vs. 52.0 +/- 14; p < 0.05), (0.47 +/- 0.13 vs. 0.72 +/- 0.29; p < 0.01), respectively. Simultaneously urine NAG excretion and serum LDL decreased (11.2 +/- 7.1 vs. 10.3 +/- 7.3; p < 0.05), (163.0 +/- 57 vs. 149.0 +/- 51, p < 0.01), respectively. We presume that fish-oil supplementation may have a beneficial effect on renal tubular cells in humans and it could be linked with arachidonic acid metabolism.