REDUCED ERYTHROCYTE DEFENSE-MECHANISMS AGAINST FREE-RADICAL TOXICITY IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC-RENAL-FAILURE

In this study, activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione p eroxidase (GSH-Px) and catalase (CAT) enzymes were determined in the e rythrocytes from patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) and from he althy subjects. In the conservative drug management group and intermit tent ambulatory peritoneal dialysis group, CAT activity was lower than in the control group. However, SOD and GSH-Px activities of these gro ups were not statistically different from the control values. In the c ontinuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis group and the hemodialysis gr oup, SOD, GSH-Px and CAT activities were lower than control values. In the patient groups, correlation coefficients between the enzyme activ ities were also found to be different from the control values. Results suggested that enzymatic antioxidant defense mechanisms were suppress ed in the erythrocytes from the patients with CRF, in particular in th e erythrocytes from those who were under hemodialysis and continuous a mbulatory peritoneal dialysis management. It is proposed that reduced antioxidant defense mechanisms in the erythrocytes is one of the impor tant factors leading to peroxidation in the membrane lipid structure o f the erythrocytes and thereby to hemolysis and anemia in the patients with CRF.