Creatine Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Creatine, including details on supplements, side-effects, benefits, dangers, muscle growth.

Guanidino compounds after creatine supplementation in renal failure patients and their relation to inflammatory status.

Taes YE, Marescau B, De Vriese A, De Deyn PP, Schepers E, Vanholder R, Delanghe JR

Laboratory Clinical Chemistry 2P8, University Hospital Ghent, De Pintelaan 185, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.

BACKGROUND: Specific guanidino compounds have been described as uraemic toxins and their concentrations are increased in renal failure due to dimished glomerular filtration, whereas the guanidino compound creatine is used as a performance-enhancing substance in athletes. The present study investigates the effects of creatine supplementation on plasma guanidino compounds in a chronic haemodialysis population. METHODS: Twenty male haemodialysis patients were included in a placebo-controlled cross-over trial. Patients were treated with creatine (2 g/day) or placebo during two treatment periods of 4 weeks, separated by a washout of 4 weeks. Plasma guanidino compounds and routine biochemical parameters were determined, as well as the prognostic inflammatory and nutritional index (PINI). RESULTS: Upon creatine supplementation, guanidinoacetate concentrations decreased by 15%, due to inhibition of creatine synthesis. Concentrations of alpha-keto-delta-guanidinovaleric acid increased three-fold and argininic acid concentrations doubled. Guanidinosuccinate concentrations did not change, but correlated inversely with CRP (r = -0.736; P = 0.001), PINI-score (r = -0.716; P = 0.002) and correlated positively with plasma urea concentration (r = 0.54; P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Creatine supplementation in haemodialysis patients significantly altered the concentration of specific guanidino compounds. Guanidinosuccinate correlated positively with plasma urea and negatively with inflammation markers.

Published 24 March 2008 in Nephrol Dial Transplant, 23(4): 1330-5.
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Articles on Creatine published 6 March 2008:

Neurochemical pathology in hippocampus in euthymic patients with bipolar I disorder.   Acta Psychiatr Scand, 117(4): 283-8.

OBJECTIVE: Subcortical regions such as hippocampus, thalamus and ventral putamen are assumed to be involved in the pathophysiology of mood regulation. Disturbed hippocampal neuronal function indicated by reduced N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) levels in bipolar patients was shown by several studies. Results in thalamus and putamen are inconsistent. METHOD: N-acetyl-aspartate, choline (Cho), creatine (Cr) and myo-inositol (Ins) were measured in left hippocampus, left thalamus and left putamen using ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Creatine published 4 March 2008:

Arginine and glycine stimulate creatine synthesis in creatine transporter 1-deficient lymphoblasts.   Anal Biochem, 375(1): 153-5.

Creatine transporter 1 (CT1) defect is an X-linked disease that causes severe neurological impairment. No treatment has been available for this condition so far. Because the transport of creatine (Cr) precursors Gly and Arg is not affected in this disorder, we tested the possible corrective effect of these two amino acids on Cr depletion in lymphoblasts lacking the transporter. Substrates enriched with Arg or Arg plus Gly increased the concentration of intracellular Cr in affected cells as well ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Creatine published 11 December 2007:

The involvement of the polyamines binding sites at the NMDA receptor in creatine-induced spatial learning enhancement.   Behav Brain Res, 187(1): 200-4.

Achievements made over the last years have highlighted the important role of creatine in health and disease. However, studies of its effect on cognition function have been limited. In the present study, we investigated the effect of creatine on early consolidation of the spatial learning in rats. Statistical analysis showed that intrahippocampal administration of creatine (2.5 and 7.5 nmol/hippocampus) (post-training) decreased the latency for scape and mean number of errors in Barnes maze ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Creatine published 16 November 2007:

Creatine supplementation exacerbates allergic lung inflammation and airway remodeling in mice.   Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol, 37(6): 660-7.

Creatine supplement is the most popular nutritional supplement, and has various metabolic functions and sports medicine applications. Creatine supplementation increases muscle mass and can decrease muscular inflammation. Some studies have also suggested a beneficial role of creatine supplementation on chronic pulmonary diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cystic fibrosis. Among athletes, the prevalence of asthma is high, and many of these individuals may be taking ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Creatine published 11 September 2007:

Absolute quantification of phosphorus metabolite concentrations in human muscle in vivo by 31P MRS: a quantitative review.   NMR Biomed, 20(6): 555-65.

31P MRS offers a unique view of muscle metabolism in vivo, but correct quantification is important. Inter-study correlation of estimates of [Pi] and [phosphocreatine (PCr)] in a number of published studies suggest that the main technical problem in calibrated 31P MRS studies is the measurement of PCr and Pi signal intensities, rather than absolute quantification of [ATP]. For comparison, we discuss the few published biopsy studies of calf muscle and a selection of the many studies of quadriceps ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Creatine published 21 August 2007:

Reduced cingulate glutamate/glutamine-to-creatine ratios in adult patients with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder -- a magnet resonance spectroscopy study.   J Psychiatr Res, 41(11): 934-41.

BACKGROUND: The dopaminergic system is thought to be essentially involved in the pathogenesis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, there is also evidence for abnormalities in the glutamatergic system and recent theories focus on a disturbed interaction between the two systems as the essential pathogenetic mechanism of ADHD. In the present study, we wanted to test the hypothesis that prefrontal glutamate signals indirectly indicate dopaminergic dysfunction in adult ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Creatine published 22 May 2007:

Effect of radiofrequency ablation of renal tumors on renal function in patients with a solitary kidney.   AJR Am J Roentgenol, 188(6): 1619-21.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect on renal function of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of renal tumors in patients with a solitary kidney. CONCLUSION: Ablation resulted in complete tumor eradication, and there were no serious complications. Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of renal tumors resulted in a 16% increase in serum creatinine concentration and a 13% decrease in creatinine clearance in patients with one kidney. These results are comparable with ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Creatine published 21 May 2007:

Imprinted polymer-modified hanging mercury drop electrode for differential pulse cathodic stripping voltammetric analysis of creatine.   Biosens Bioelectron, 22(12): 3302-8.

The molecularly imprinted polymer [poly(p-aminobenzoicacid-co-1,2-dichloroethane)] film casting was made on the surface of a hanging mercury drop electrode by drop-coating method for the selective and sensitive evaluation of creatine in water, blood serum and pharmaceutical samples. The molecular recognition of creatine by the imprinted polymer was found to be specific via non-covalent (electrostatic) imprinting. The creatine binding could easily be detected by differential pulse, cathodic ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

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