Protective effects of antioxidants against rheumatoid arthritis-induces lipid peroxidation and glutathione depletion

Abstract EN

The effects of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and antioxidant therapy for 10 days with vitamin E, Vitamin C and vitamin A on serum lipid peroxidation (MDA content), glutathione (GSH) content, glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity, glutathione reductase (GSR) activity, both total and selenium dependent glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities were tested in 18 rheumatic patients.

RA patients had increased MDA content, and index of lipid peroxidation, depleted GSH levels, elevated GST activity and inhibited GSR and GSH-GSH-Px activities, as compared to 20 healthy subjects.

Supplementation with vitamin E decreased MDA content, elevated GSH levels, GSR and GSH-Px activities after 5 days of therapy.

Vitamin C supplementation did so only after 10 days of therapy, while treatment with vitamin A showed no significant changes in these parameters compared to pretreatment levels.

The results suggest that antioxidant therapy may afford some protection against oxidative stress associated with RA.