Aref H, Abd Allah HSH, Abd El Monem AG, Abd El Mobdy AH. Protein carbonyl: A sensitive marker reflecting oxidative stress in prevalent hemodialysis patients. World J Nephrol 2026; 15(3): 119962 [DOI: 10.5527/wjn.119962]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Ashraf Hassan Abd El Mobdy, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine and Nephrology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Ahmed Fakhry Street, Nasr City, Cairo 11511, Al Qahirah, Egypt. ashrafnephro@med.asu.edu.eg
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Urology & Nephrology
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Aref H, Abd Allah HSH, Abd El Monem AG, Abd El Mobdy AH. Protein carbonyl: A sensitive marker reflecting oxidative stress in prevalent hemodialysis patients. World J Nephrol 2026; 15(3): 119962 [DOI: 10.5527/wjn.119962]
World J Nephrol. Sep 25, 2026; 15(3): 119962 Published online Sep 25, 2026. doi: 10.5527/wjn.119962
Protein carbonyl: A sensitive marker reflecting oxidative stress in prevalent hemodialysis patients
Hayam Aref, Hussein Sayed Hussein Abd Allah, Amany Gamal Abd El Monem, Ashraf Hassan Abd El Mobdy
Hayam Aref, Hussein Sayed Hussein Abd Allah, Amany Gamal Abd El Monem, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11511, Al Qahirah, Egypt
Ashraf Hassan Abd El Mobdy, Department of Internal Medicine and Nephrology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11511, Al Qahirah, Egypt
Author contributions: Abd Allah HSH wrote the first draft of the manuscript; Aref H, Abd Allah HSH, Abd El Monem AG, and Abd El Mobdy AH performed material preparation, data collection and analysis; all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript, contributed to the study conception and design, read and approved of the final manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: The study took place from September 2022 to February 2023, following approval by the Ethical Committee of Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt, and in accordance with the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki (No. MS 850/2022).
Informed consent statement: All participants provided informed consent.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement – checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement – checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: Data are available in reasonable request from corresponding author.
Corresponding author: Ashraf Hassan Abd El Mobdy, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine and Nephrology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Ahmed Fakhry Street, Nasr City, Cairo 11511, Al Qahirah, Egypt. ashrafnephro@med.asu.edu.eg
Received: February 13, 2026 Revised: April 25, 2026 Accepted: June 16, 2026 Published online: September 25, 2026 Processing time: 182 Days and 12 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Protein carbonyls (PCOs) are well-established biomarkers of oxidative stress, closely linked to disease progression and therapeutic responses across various pathological conditions.
AIM
To assess serum PCO titres as an indicator of oxidative damage in prevalent hemodialysis (HD) patients and to explore their association with nutritional status.
METHODS
This controlled cross-sectional study included 60 patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), aged 18-65 years, undergoing maintenance HD three times per week for at least six months. All participants were treated through the same high-flux dialyzer equipped with a polysulfone membrane. A control group of 30 healthy individuals was also enrolled. Serum PCO titres were measured in all participants.
RESULTS
The ESRD group exhibited significantly higher values of systolic blood pressure, serum creatinine, serum phosphate, C-reactive protein, and PCO than the control group. In contrast, hemoglobin titres and serum albumin titres were significantly diminished in ESRD patients. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of serum PCO demonstrated excellent discriminatory capacity, with a cut-off value of 115 pmol/mg yielding 93.3% sensitivity and 100% specificity. A significant positive correlation was found between C-reactive protein titres and both age and parathyroid hormone concentrations in the ESRD group. Additionally, nutritional status was significantly worse in ESRD patients than in controls.
CONCLUSION
Serum PCO titres were markedly elevated in ESRD patients undergoing HD, reflecting enhanced oxidative stress. Given its high diagnostic accuracy, PCO can act as a sensitive and reliable marker for oxidative stress in ESRD.
Core Tip: Serum protein carbonyl titres were markedly elevated in end-stage renal disease patients undergoing hemodialysis, reflecting enhanced oxidative stress. Given its high diagnostic accuracy, protein carbonyl can act as a sensitive and reliable marker for oxidative stress in end-stage renal disease.
