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High Oxidative Stress, Low Antioxidant Status In Alzheimer Disease

Markers of oxidative damage are increased in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) and correlate with decreased levels of plasma antioxidants.

In a study of 40 AD patients, lymphocyte content of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), a marker of oxidative damage to DNA, was significantly higher and plasma levels of antioxidants (except for lutein) significantly lower in patients than in healthy controls.

Lymphocyte DNA 8-OHdG content in people AD may thus reflect a condition of increased oxidative stress related to a poor antioxidant status, these authors suggest.

Patrizia Mecocci led this three-country project with colleagues from the Institute of Gerontology and Geriatrics, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy with contributors from the Institute of Physiological Chemistry, Heinrich-Heine University, Dusseldorf, Germany and Weill Medical College of Cornell University and the New York Hospital, Cornell Medical Center, New York.

Although a large body of experimental evidence suggests oxidative stress plays a key role in AD pathogenesis, there have been few data on in vivo markers of free radical-induced damage.

As well as evaluating levels of 8-OhdG in peripheral lymphocytes, these authors sought to measure plasma concentrations of several nonenzymatic antioxidants and to assess links between any observed changes in lymphocyte DNA 8-OHdG content and plasma antioxidant levels in these patients versus healthy controls.

Study participants were the 40 AD patients and 39 healthy age- and sex-matched controls.

As well as the higher lymphocyte DNA 8-OHdG content and lower plasma levels of antioxidants in these patients, researchers also noted a significant inverse relationship between lymphocyte DNA 8-OHdG content and plasma levels of lycopene, lutein, a-carotene and b-carotene, respectively.
Arch Neurol. 2002;59:794-798. "Lymphocyte Oxidative DNA Damage and Plasma Antioxidants in Alzheimer Disease"

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