Association of tocopherols with circulating autoantibody levels against anoxidized DNA nucleoside in humans

Autoantibodies against oxidized DNA bases are found in vivo and have been u sed as an indicator of oxidative damage, yet little is known concerning the ir individual variation and relation to serum micronutrients. Human plasma anti-5-hydroxymethyl-2'-deoxyuridine (HMdU) autoantibody (aAb) levels were repeatedly determined in 41 women and 11 men, and found to have small withi n-individual variation over time, but large between-individual differences. A positive association in both women (r =.5762, p =.0001) and men (r =.415 , p =.2) between plasma total tocopherols and antibody levels was observed. Autoantibody levels were lower in postmenopausal women (8.37 +/- 1.61 vs. 17.18 +/- 2.85 in premenopausal women, p <.01), independently of plasma toc opherol. However, aAb titers in postmenopausal women were still significant ly associated with plasma tocopherol levels and adjustment for menopausal s tatus in women yielded a highly significant correlation between HMdU aAb le vels and total tocopherol (r =.7342, p =.0001). Plasma malondialdehyde equi valents (MDA), a measure of lipid peroxidation, were also higher in individ uals with either high plasma <alpha>-tocopherol or high beta+gamma -tocophe rol levels. The positive association of tocopherols with markers of oxidati ve damage may reflect a response to the generation of endogenous oxidants a ssociated with enhanced immune function. The decrease in aAb level in postm enopausal women may similarly reflect decreased immune function associated with decreased estrogen levels, (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc.