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Tissue and blood superoxide dismutase activity and malondialdehyde level in leprosy
Author(s) -
AbdelHafez HZ,
Mohamed EEM,
AbdElghany AA
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of the european academy of dermatology and venereology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.655
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1468-3083
pISSN - 0926-9959
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-3083.2009.03496.x
Subject(s) - malondialdehyde , superoxide dismutase , medicine , oxidative stress , lipid peroxidation , leprosy , radical , pathogenesis , immunology , endocrinology , gastroenterology , biochemistry , chemistry
Background Oxidative stress (OS) results from an imbalance between free radical generating and scavenging systems. The end product of lipid peroxidation, malondialdehyde (MDA) serves as a marker of cellular damage. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) traps free radicals and acts as a free radical scavenging system. Objective To study OS indices in paucibacillary (PB) and multibacillary (MB) leprosy in tissues and blood. Materials and methods The study group comprised untreated PB patients ( n = 14), untreated MB patients ( n = 18) and normal human volunteers ( n = 20). SOD activity, MDA level and MDA/SOD ratio were estimated in both blood and tissue. Results Compared with controls, SOD activity in tissues decreased significantly in both PB and MB patients, while SOD activity in erythrocytes decreased significantly only in MB. In addition, MDA levels increased significantly in tissues of both PB and MB patients. Moreover, the mean level of MDA in plasma of MB patients was significantly higher, whereas there was no significant difference in that of PB patients. This study showed significant increase in OS index (MDA/SOD ratio) in tissue of PB and MB patients and in blood of MB patients only, whereas there was no significant difference in OS index in blood of PB patients compared with that in the controls. Conclusion Oxidative stress was observed in both tissues and blood of MB patients and in tissues of PB patients, denoting its crucial involvement in the pathogenesis of leprosy. This can constitute an important tool in prognosis, treatment and control of leprosy.