During evolution, cells of all species have developed and optimized a powerful mechanism to protect against stress. Such stress can come from various forms such as chemical or physical (mechanical) stress or stress caused by radiation. For example, chemical (metabolic) stress would be caused by too much sugar exposure, physical stress by too much pressure, and radiation stress by too much (unnatural) exposure to the sun or other sources of radiation.

Having said this, also every disease, treatment of a disease or clinical intervention (e.g., surgery or organ transplantation) causes or at least might cause stress for the affected cells. The most obvious diseases where this occurs are diabetes (too much sugar exposure causing metabolic stress), hypertension (too high blood pressure exerts unnatural forces on the cells of the blood vessels) and harvesting an organ from a (deceased) donor exposes the organ during transport to an unnatural, hostile environment. And in some but not all cases the cells' above-described protective mechanism kicks in, helping to shield the affected cells from the stress or at least partly reducing its negative effects. One speaks of “cytoprotection”.

However, this mechanism is inhibited in certain diseases or in case of certain treatments of diseases such as in peritoneal dialysis (PD). The reason for this inhibition most likely is that evolution did not have enough time to “prepare” the affected cells for the particular stress of diseases or their treatment options that – in evolutionary terms – have afflicted patients or available to them only since a fairly short period of time such as, for example, high blood pressure or blood cleansing via peritoneal dialysis.

Zytoprotec’s research has shown that the protective mechanisms of cells that are in some cases inhibited can be restored or at least enhanced (“up-regulated”) with the help of the right cytoprotective compounds. PDprotec^®, Zytoprotec’s lead product, uses Alanyl Glutamine as the pharmacologically active compound to restore or enhance the inhibited cytoprotective mechanism in the case of patients receiving PD treatment.

Zytoprotec’s research and the development of PDprotec^® has led to numerous publications in medical-scientific journals, presentations at medical congresses and personal meetings with scientists, researchers and physicians. Prof. Aufricht and his team have not only published their findings in leading journals but have also received prestigious awards.

Here is a selection of publications:

Grunert, T., R. Herzog, F.M. Wiesenhofer, A. Vychytil, M. Ehling-Schulz, and K. Kratochwill, Vibrational Spectroscopy of Peritoneal Dialysis Effluent for Rapid Assessment of Patient Characteristics. Biomolecules, 2020. 10(6)
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov  |  dx.doi.org

Bartosova, M., R. Herzog, D. Ridinger, E. Levai, H. Jenei, C. Zhang, G.T. González Mateo, I. Marinovic, T. Hackert, F. Bestvater, M. Hausmann, M. López Cabrera, K. Kratochwill, S.G. Zarogiannis, and C.P. Schmitt, Alanyl-Glutamine Restores Tight Junction Organization after Disruption by a Conventional Peritoneal Dialysis Fluid. Biomolecules, 2020.10(8)
res.mdpi.com  |  dx.doi.org

Boehm, M., J. Niewczas, H. Herkner, F. Koenig, K. Kratochwill, P. Rutherford, C. Aufricht, and A. Vychytil, Composite Outcome Improves Feasibility of Clinical Trials in Peritoneal Dialysis. Perit Dial Int, 2019. 39(5): p. 479-485
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov  |  dx.doi.org

Boehm, M., R. Herzog, F. Klinglmuller, A.M. Lichtenauer, A. Wagner, M. Unterwurzacher, R.H.J. Beelen, S.L. Alper, C. Aufricht, and K. Kratochwill, The Peritoneal Surface Proteome in a Model of Chronic Peritoneal Dialysis Reveals Mechanisms of Membrane Damage and Preservation. Front Physiol, 2019. 10: p. 472
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov  |  dx.doi.org

Wiesenhofer, F.M., R. Herzog, M. Boehm, A. Wagner, M. Unterwurzacher, D.C. Kasper, S.L. Alper, A. Vychytil, C. Aufricht, and K. Kratochwill, Targeted Metabolomic Profiling of Peritoneal Dialysis Effluents Shows Anti-oxidative Capacity of Alanyl-Glutamine. Front Physiol, 2018. 9(1961): p. 1961
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov  |  dx.doi.org

Vychytil, A., R. Herzog, P. Probst, W. Ribitsch, K. Lhotta, V. Machold-Fabrizii, M. Wiesholzer, M. Kaufmann, H. Salmhofer, M. Windpessl, A.R. Rosenkranz, R. Oberbauer, F. Konig, K. Kratochwill, and C. Aufricht, A randomized controlled trial of alanyl-glutamine supplementation in peritoneal dialysis fluid to assess impact on biomarkers of peritoneal health. Kidney Int, 2018. 94(6): p. 1227-1237
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov  |  dx.doi.org

Herzog, R., M. Boehm, M. Unterwurzacher, A. Wagner, K. Parapatics, P. Majek, A.C. Mueller, A. Lichtenauer, K.L. Bennett, S.L. Alper, A. Vychytil, C. Aufricht, and K. Kratochwill, Effects of Alanyl-Glutamine Treatment on the Peritoneal Dialysis Effluent Proteome Reveal Pathomechanism-Associated Molecular Signatures. Mol Cell Proteomics, 2018. 17(3): p. 516-532
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov  |  dx.doi.org

Herzog, R., L. Kuster, J. Becker, T. Gluexam, D. Pils, A. Spittler, M.K. Bhasin, S.L. Alper, A. Vychytil, C. Aufricht, and K. Kratochwill, Functional and Transcriptomic Characterization of Peritoneal Immune-Modulation by Addition of Alanyl-Glutamine to Dialysis Fluid. Sci Rep, 2017. 7(1): p. 6229
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov  |  dx.doi.org