Are aldehydes in heat-sterilized peritoneal dialysis fluids toxic in vitro?
OBJECTIVE: Chemical analysis of several brands of peritoneal dialysis fluids (PD fluids) has revealed the presence of 2-furaldehyde, 5-HMF (5-hydroxymethylfuraldehyde), acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, glyoxal, and methylglyoxal. The aim of this study was to investigate if the in vitro side effects caused by glucose degradation products, mainly formed during heat sterilization, are due to any of these recently identified aldehydes. DESIGN: Cell growth media or sterile filtered PD fluids were spiked with different concentrations of thealdehydes. MEASUREMENTS: In vitro side effects were determined as the inhibition of cell growth of cultured mouse fibroblasts or stimulated superoxide radical release from human peritoneal cells. RESULTS: Our results demonstrate that the occurrences of 2-furaldehyde, 5-HMF, acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, glyoxal, or methylglyoxal in heat-sterilized PD fluids are probably not the direct cause of in vitro side effects. In order to induce the same magnitude of cell g