Abstract
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 (GSI-I-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 GSI-I-GSI-I-Px activities, as
compared to 20 healthy subjects.
Supplementation with vitamin E decreased MDA content,
elevated GSI-I levels, GSR and GSI-I-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