ANTIOXIDATIVE VITAMIN TREATMENT - EFFECT ON LIPID-PEROXIDATION AND LIMB SWELLING AFTER REVASCULARIZATION OPERATIONS

The objective of this study was to evaluate the antioxidative properti es of the multivitamin cocktail Omnibionta(R) (alpha-tocopherol, ascor bic acid, retinol, vitamin B complex) in terms of diminishing lipid pe roxidation with improvement of leg edema performance after limb revasc ularization operations in humans. Fifty-one subjects were selected; th e control group contained 27 patients and the treatment group 24 patie nts, who received the vitamin cocktail intravenously before the start of reperfusion. All patients suffered from acute or chronic arterial o cclusive disease, except two subjects with arterial trauma. MDA-TBARS in plasma, quantified by HPLC, taken as a measure of lipid peroxidatio n was significantly increased (p < 0.001) in the control group 1 hour after reperfusion onset and decreased to its baseline value within the following 2 hours (0.73 +/- 0.26, 1.21 +/- 0.48, 0.99 +/- 0.48, 0.73 +/- 0.33 nmol/ml). In contrast, in the treatment group MDA-TBARS did n ot exceed the baseline value during the reperfusion period (0.93 +/- 0 .30, 0.70 +/- 0.29, 0.65 +/- 0.23, 0.70 +/- 0.37 nmol/ml). Leg edema, expressed by extremity circumference, was significantly (p < 0.008) el evated in the control group (30.7 +/- 4.04 cm versus 35.35 +/- 4.12 cm ) compared to a lack of increase in the treatment group (29.25 +/- 5.1 3 cm versus 29.76 +/- 5.70 cm). These results suggest that antioxidati ve vitamin treatment might be valuable in preventing lipid peroxidatio n and decreasing extremity edema.