SUPEROXIDE-DISMUTASE ACTIVITY IN CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID AND ITS RELATIONTO COMPRESSION OF THE LUMBOSACRAL NERVE ROOT

In the pathophysiology of lumbosacral radiculopathy, inflammation of t he nerve root is of critical importance. Additionally, free radicals h ave been shown to be associated with some inflammatory process. This s tudy was designed to investigate whether free radicals participate in the pathophysiology of nerve root involvement. We measured superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 31 patients w ith unilateral lumbosacral radiculopathy caused by a herniated disc us ing electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrometry. Then SOD activity was compared with the type of nerve root compression as seen on preoperati ve myelography. SOD activity in the normal control group was 7U/ml, wh ile that in the hernia group remarkably decreased. The concentration g radient of SOD activity was different between central herniation and c entrolateral herniation. Our findings indicate that free radicals are generated after nerve root compression. Under severe deficiency of SOD activity in CSF, serum SOD penetrates into CSF after further compress ion. In addition, SOD in CSF may play an important role in protecting against nerve root involvement.