Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association
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Clin. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. · Jun 2018
Association Between Low Plasma Level of Citrulline Before Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation and Severe Gastrointestinal Graft vs Host Disease.
The gastrointestinal form of acute graft vs host disease increases morbidity and mortality following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Plasma levels of citrulline, a non-proteinogenic amino acid, indicate functional enterocyte mass. We measured citrulline in patients before allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation and investigated its association with incidence and severity of gastrointestinal graft vs host disease. ⋯ In a retrospective study with 191 patients, we associated a low plasma level of citrulline before allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation with a higher risk for stage 2-4 gastrointestinal graft vs host disease and non-relapse mortality. This marker might be used to manage patients before allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.