Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019;26(16):2948-2961.
doi: 10.2174/0929867325666180313105949.

Homocysteine and Hyperhomocysteinaemia

Bozidarka L Zaric  1 , Milan Obradovic  1 , Vladan Bajic  1 , Mohamed A Haidara  2 , Milos Jovanovic  3 , Esma R Isenovic  1
Affiliations
Review

Homocysteine and Hyperhomocysteinaemia

Bozidarka L Zaric et al. Curr Med Chem. 2019.

Abstract

Homocysteine (Hcy) is a thiol group containing the amino acid, which naturally occurs in all humans. Hcy is degraded in the body through two metabolic pathways, while a minor part is excreted through kidneys. The chemical reactions that are necessary for degradation of Hcy require the presence of folic acid, vitamins B6 and B12. Consequently, the level of the total Hcy in the serum is influenced by the presence or absence of these vitamins. An elevated level of the Hcy, hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) and homocystinuria is connected with occlusive artery disease, especially in the brain, the heart, and the kidney, in addition to venous thrombosis, chronic renal failure, megaloblastic anemia, osteoporosis, depression, Alzheimer's disease, pregnancy problems, and others. Elevated Hcy levels are connected with various pathologies both in adult and child population. Causes of HHcy include genetic mutations and enzyme deficiencies in 5, 10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) methionine synthase (MS), and cystathionine β-synthase (CβS). HHcy can be caused by deficiencies in the folate, vitamin B12 and to a lesser extent, deficiency in B6 vitamin what influences methionine metabolism. Additionally, HHcy can be caused by the rich diet and renal impairment. This review presents literature data from recent research related to Hcy metabolism and the etiology of the Hcy blood level disorder. In addition, we also described various pathological mechanisms induced by hereditary disturbances or nutritional influences and their association with HHcy induced pathology in adults and children and treatment of these metabolic disorders.

Keywords: Homocysteine; cardiovascular diseases; disturbance of homocysteine metabolism; homocysteine metabolism; hyperhomocysteinemia; nutritional deficiencies..

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources