Oral supplements of vitamin E improve measures of oxidative stress in plasma and reduce oxidative damage to LDL and erythrocytes in beta-thalassemia intermedia patients

Fifteen beta -thalassemia intermedia patients, not requiring chronic transf usional therapy, were monitored in order to check their antioxidant status, and the lipid oxidation products in plasma, LDL, and erythrocytes before a nd during a 9-month oral treatment with 600 mg/day vitamin E. The low level of vitamin E, and high level of malondialdehyde in plasma clearly tended t o normalize after three months (P < .001), and were quite similar to contro l after six months. The abnormally low level of vitamin E in LDL and the fo ur times higher than control basal level of conjugated dienes (LDL-CD), wer e not modified after three months of treatment. Significant changes of LDL- VE (P < .05) and of the basal LDL-CD (P < .001) were evident after six mont hs. LDL-VE was within the normal range after nine months, whereas LDL-CD st ill appeared twice as higher than control. Plasma vitamin A, ascorbate, beta -carotene, and lyco-pene increased marked ly at the end of the trial (P < .005). The level of vitamin E in red blood cells was normalized after six months o f supplementation. A decrease of the baseline value of conjugated dienes wa s observed after nine months, although it remained 1.4-fold higher than con trol. The RBC count and hematocrit appeared higher at the end of the trial (P < .05 and P < .001, respectively). The hemoglobin value did not show var iations. A shift to normal of the resistance of erythrocytes to osmotic lys is was observed. Our findings provide evidence that an oral treatment with vitamin E improve s the antioxidant/oxidant balance in plasma, LDL, particles and red blood c ells, and counteracts lipid peroxidation processes in beta -thalassemia int ermedia patients.