ERYTHROCYTE ANTIOXIDANT SYSTEM IN PATIENTS WITH HEPATIC CANCER

Activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (G SH-Px) enzymes were measured in the erythrocytes from 15 patients with hepatic cancer and from 10 control subjects. Lower activities of SOD and GSH-Px were established in the erythrocytes from patients compared with control subjects. The levels of thiobarbituric acid reagent subs tance were also measured in the erythrocyte (TBARS(e)) and plasma (TBA RS(p)) samples of the groups. No differences were found between erythr ocyte TEARS levels of control and patient groups. However, plasma TEAR S levels were found to be significantly increased in the patient group . Results suggested that although enzymatic antioxidant defense system was significantly reduced in the erythrocytes from patients with hepa tic cancer, this did not lead to further peroxidative reactions in the erythrocytes, possibly due to pre-oxidation of some cellular structur es sensitive to peroxidative attacks. There was however an important i ndication of accelerated peroxidative reactions in the plasma of the c ancer patients. This was possibly the result of extracellular oxidant stress in these patients.