Evaluation of oxidative stress in some cases of argimone oil poisoning during a recent outbreak of epidemic dropsy in India

The study was designed to evaluate the oxidative stress and modulation of a nti-oxidant enzymes in 10 accidental argimone oil poisoning cases admitted in a hospital in Delhi, India during a recent outbreak of epidemic dropsy i n 1998. Serum malondialdehyde (MDA) level, oxygen free-radical scavenging e nzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), and glutathio ne (GSH) and related enzymes, e.g. glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) and glutathione-S-tra nsferase (GST) in erythrocytes were assayed. The sanguinarine level in seru m was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. The serum MDA lev el was higher and the GSH level in erythrocytes was lower in argimone oil p oisioning cases than those in controls. There was a significant decrease in SOD and GPx activities in erythrocytes of epidemic dropsy cases but no cha nges were observed in CAT, GR and GST assay. The depletion of GSH in erythr ocytes, serum MDA level and clinical severity were dependent on serum sangu inarine level. The results indicate that sanguinarine (argimone oil) poison ing creates an oxidative stress in humans. The oxidative stress and differe ntial modulation of anti-oxidant enzymes by sanguinarine might play a patho genic role in epidemic dropsy, which suggests the incorporation of anti-oxi dant drugs in the treatment protocol of the disease.