Indicators of oxidative stress and the effect of antioxidant treatment in patients with primary Parkinson’s disease
Introduction and objective. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by a progressive, slow loss of dopaminergic neurones in the substance nigra. Although the cause of this neurone loss is unknown, at the present time many papers suggest oxidative stress (OS), secondary to dopaminergic metabolism, as an aetiopathogenic factor of PD. Therefore study of the part played by OS in this would permit the use of antioxidants (AO) as another possibility for treatment of the disease. It would also be a major step forward in the search for possible biological markers. Material and methods. A study using spectrophotometric techniques was made of the serum levels of four biochemical indicators: catalase (CAT), malonyl aldehyde (MDA), phospholipase A2 (PLA2 ) and Vitamin C (VITC) in controls and in patients with PD. We found the average value for each of the variables studied in controls and in patients, taking AO treatment into account. Results. The effect of clinical variables on serum levels of CAT, MDA, PLA2 and VITC was analyzed. It was seen that only the clinical state of Hoen and Yahr was related to the biochemical indicators. The CAT activity and VITC concentration showed statistically significant differences between patients (independently of their AO treatment) and controls. The CAT activity was significantly less in those treated with AO. The patients with PD did not all have the same degree of OS. The effect of AO treatment on plasma markers showed changes only in one subgroup of Parkinson patients. Conclusions. Our study suggests that AO treatment in this condition should be tailored to the individual patient according to the degree of OS present
Resultados Se analizó la influencia de las variables clínicas sobre los niveles séricos de la CAT, MDA, PLA2 y VITC y se observó que sólo el estadio clínico de Hoen y Yahr estaba relacionado con los indicadores bioquímicos. La actividad de la CAT y la concentración de VITC presentaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre pacientes (independientemente del tratamiento AO) y controles, siendo la actividad CAT significativamente menor en los tratados con AO. Todos los pacientes con EP no presentaron el mismo grado de EO; la influencia del tratamiento AO sobre los indicadores séricos sólo mostró diferencias en un subgrupo de parkinsonianos.
Conclusiones Nuestro estudio sugiere que el tratamiento AO en esta enfermedad debe ser individualizado y en concordancia con el grado de EO que presente el paciente
