THE FREE-RADICAL SYSTEM IN ISCHEMIC-HEART-DISEASE

The present work was conducted to evaluate the oxygen free radical sys tem in 29 patients and comparing them with nine matched healthy contro ls of acute and chronic myocardial ischemic syndromes. The parameters assessed for oxidative stress were superoxide anion and malonyldialdeh yde, and for the antioxidant defence system were superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione reductase. Both oxidative stress and the ant ioxidant defence system were altered in myocardial ischemia. Subset an alysis revealed that in unstable angina and acute myocardial infarctio n, superoxide anion, malonyldialdehyde and glutathione reductase were elevated while superoxide dismutase and catalase levels were reduced. In stable angina only increased levels of superoxide anion and decreas ed levels of superoxide dismutase were found. However, this alteration was less marked than in unstable angina and acute myocardial infarcti on. In the post myocardial infarction group there was no alteration in any of these parameters.