alpha-1-Antichymotrypsin and oxidative stress in the peripheral blood frompatients with probable Alzheimer disease: A short-term longitudinal study

To evaluate the stability and reproducibility of selected peripheral oxidat ive stress markers and their possible relation to cognitive performance, th ree different blood samples were taken at 7- to 10-day intervals from 11 pa tients with probable Alzheimer disease (AD) and 11 nondemented controls. Bl ood samples were also collected once from 6 patients with vascular dementia (VT). alpha -1-Antichymotrypsin (ACT), C-reactive protein (CRP), glutathio ne peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD), lactoferrin (LTF), and total lipid peroxidation (LPO) were then measured. Blood levels of ACT and GSH-Px were increased in AD patients but not in patients with VD. Levels of LTF, CRP, and LPO were comparable between AD patients and controls. Erythr ocyte SOD activity was increased in AD patients. Blood levels of ACT negati vely correlated with LPO levels and positively correlated with scores of th e Global Deterioration Scale of AD patients. ACT might be implicated in con trolling oxidative damage of blood lipids and their turnover during the pro gression of AD.