BLOOD ACTIVITIES OF ANTIOXIDANT ENZYMES IN ALCOHOLICS BEFORE AND AFTER WITHDRAWAL

Since free radicals and peroxides seem to be involved in the toxicity of alcohol, several authors have examined the variations of blood acti vities of antioxidant enzymes in alcoholics, but published results are somewhat conflicting. In this study, erythrocyte (E) activities of su peroxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and catalase (C AT), and plasma (P) activities of SOD and GPX were measured in 58 male alcoholics without evidence of severe liver disease before and after a 21-day weaning period, and in a control group of 78 healthy men. Bef ore abstinence, E-SOD and E-GPX activities were, respectively, 6.8% an d 13.0% lower in alcoholics than in controls (p less-than-or-equal-to .05 and p less-than-or-equal-to .01, respectively), whereas the slight increases of E-CAT, P-SOD and P-GPX were not statistically significan t. After 21 days of abstinence, no change in activities of the erythro cyte enzymes was noticed; conversely, P-SOD activity was reduced by 8. 3% (p less-than-or-equal-to .01) and P-GPX by 23.3% (p less-than-or-eq ual-to .001). Variations of blood antioxidant enzymes observed in pati ents were of limited amplitude and do not allow the use of either of t hem as markers of alcohol abuse.