Y. Ihara et al., FREE-RADICALS AND SUPEROXIDE-DISMUTASE IN BLOOD OF PATIENTS WITH ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE AND VASCULAR DEMENTIA, Journal of the neurological sciences, 153(1), 1997, pp. 76-81
We measured hydroxyl radical ((OH)-O-.) levels in blood, superoxide di
smutase (SOD) activity in red blood cells (RBC) relative to both total
protein (RBC-SOD/P) and Cu,Zn-SOD protein (RBC-SOD/SOD), SOD activity
in plasma (plasma-SOD), and Cu,Zn-SOD protein relative to total RBC p
rotein (Cu,Zn-SOD/P) in 22 patients with probable dementia of the Alzh
eimer type (DAT group, mean age 74.8+/-9.4 years), 16 with probable va
scular dementia (VAD group, mean age 76.9+/-6.7 years) and 19 non-deme
nted controls (control group, mean age 73.5+/-6.2 years). Levels of (O
H)-O-. in the DAT and VAD groups were significantly (P<0.01 and P<0.00
1, respectively) higher, whereas the values of RBC-SOD/P and RBC-SOD/S
OD in these two groups (both P<0.001) and Cu,Zn-SOD/P in the DAT group
(P<0.001) were significantly lower than the corresponding control val
ues. Members of the VAD group with risk factors for stroke (RF+ group)
showed significantly higher (OH)-O-. levels than members of the VAD g
roup without risk factors (RF- group; P<0.01) and the control group (P
<0.001). RBC-SOD/P and RBC-SOD/SOD values in the RF+ group were signif
icantly (both P<0.01) lower than the corresponding control values, The
re were no significant differences among the VAD, RF+ and control grou
ps with respect to Cu,Zn-SOD/P values, of between the RF- and control
groups for any measured parameter. We conclude that oxidative stress p
lays a role in the brain damage seen in both DAT and VAD, and that the
causes of decreased SOD activity in RBC differ between DAT and VAD pa
tients. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.