Inflammation in Hypervolemic Hemodialysis Patients: The Roles of RelB and Caspase-4.

Hypervolemia is associated with inflammation in hemodialysis (HD) patients. How hypervolemia triggers inflammation is not entirely known. We initiated a cross-sectional study enrolling 40 hemodialysis patients who were categorized into normovolemic (N; 23) and hypervolemic (H; 17) groups by bioimpedance measurement. A caspase activity assay in combination with a specific caspase-4 inhibitor was used to detect caspase-4 activity in isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Transcription factors RelA (pS529) and RelB (pS552) were analyzed by phospho-flow cytometry. Serum endotoxins were detected by an amebocyte lysate-based assay, and