Circulating lipid peroxidation, plasma and erythrocyte antioxidant status in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

The aim of the study was to investigate the levels of lipid peroxidation, and both plasma anderythrocyte antioxidant states in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The population consisted of 60subjects divided into two groups, 30 subjects had evidence of rheumatoid arthritis and age and sexmatched healthy subjects were studied as controls. The level of plasma and erythrocyte thiobarbituricacid reactive substances (TBARS) was markedly increased in both the rheumatoid arthritis patientswhen compared to control subjects. The activities of plasma and erythrocyte antioxidants weresignificantly decreased in rheumatoid arthritis. C reactive protein, rheumatoid factor and antistreptolysin-O were significantly higher in rheumatoid arthritis patients than in healthy subjects. Inconclusion, on the basis of enhanced lipid peroxidation in rheumatoid arthritis patients withconcomitant failure of both the plasma, and erythrocyte antioxidants defense mechanism. These resultsare consistent with the underlying hypothesis that there is an imbalance between reactive oxygenspecies production and the antioxidant defense system in inflammatory rheumatoid arthritis disease.