EVALUATION OF LIPID-PEROXIDATION AND TOTAL ANTIOXIDANT STATUS IN PLASMA OF RATS FOLLOWING THERMAL-INJURY

Thermal injury initiates systemic inflammatory reactions producing bur n toxins, an inflammatory response, oxygen radicals and finally peroxi dation. The relationship between the amount of products of oxidative m etabolism and natural scavengers of free radicals determines the outco me of local and distant tissue damage, and further organ failure in bu rn injury. To determine the relationship between the level of total na tural scavengers of the body, the place of superoxide dismutase in thi s capacity, and its relation with lipid peroxidation, malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase levels and total antioxidant status were measure d in plasma. Animals were subjected to 30 per cent full thickness body surface area burn, and their blood was collected at 24 h postburn. Pl asma malondialdehyde levels were significantly elevated above the leve l of controls (P < 0.02). Burn injury caused a remarkable decrease in superoxide dismutase (45 per cent decrease, P < 0.0001) and total anti oxidant status (14 per cent decrease, P < 0.01) when compared to contr ol. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd for ISBI.