Protein carbonyl groups' content as a useful clinical marker of antioxidant barrier impairment in plasma of children with juvenile chronic arthritis

The purpose of our study was to find out the intensity of free radical reac tions in pediatric patients with different forms of juvenile chronic arthri tis (JCA) on the basis of carbonyl groups' content in plasma proteins, eval uated with the use of Levine's method. We examined a population of 52 child ren with diagnosed JCA of different types and activities in the study. The carbonyl groups' content in plasma proteins of ill children was significant ly higher than in healthy group (1.36 +/- 0.68 vs. 0.807 +/- 0.16 nmol/mg o f protein). The carbonyls increased parallell with the activity of the dise ase; their content was significantly higher in children with high-disease a ctivity than in children with medium- or low-disease activity. Moreover, ch ildren with oligoarthritis had carbonyls level 1.09 +/- 0.59 nmol/mg of pro tein, vs. 1.62 +/- 0.82 in children with systemic type of JCA. The values o f carbonyls in children with polyarthritis were and 1.36 +/- 0.50 nmol/mg o f protein. Correlation between the carbonyl groups content and the activity or the type of JCA may allow use of carbonyls as a clinical marker of anti oxidant barrier impairment in this group of patients. This aspect of the di sease may undergo pharmacologic modification in future. (C) 2000 Elsevier S cience Inc.