ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Levels of Oxidative Metabolites, Antioxidants
and Neopterin in Nigerian Pulmonary
Tuberculosis Patients
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Olabisi Onabanjo University, College of
Health Sciences, Department of Chemical
Pathology and Immunology, Ago-Iwoye,
Ogun State, Nigeria
Publication date: 2011-07-11
Eur J Gen Med 2011;8(3):213-218
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Aim: Several products of cellular (macrophage) activation (i.e. free
radicals and cytokines) are potential causes of metabolic disorders in
pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients. There is a dearth of information
on the levels of neopterin and oxidative metabolites in Nigerian
PTB patients. This study therefore assessed the levels of markers of
oxidative stress and neopterin in Nigerian PTB patients.
Method: Thirty-eight (17 males and 21 females) newly diagnosed
PTB-patients and 40 (22 males and 18 females) apparently healthy
non-PTB controls volunteered to participate in this study. Diagnostic
criteria included sputum acid fast bacilli, chest X-ray and Mantoux
test. The levels of superoxide dismutase, plasma albumin, total antioxidant
potential, nitric oxide, reduced glutathione, catalase, total
plasma peroxide, oxidative stress index, malondialdehyde and neopterin
(marker of cellular activation) were determined in them using
spectrophotometric methods and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay
(ELISA) technique respectively.
Result: In PTB-patients, significantly (p<0.05) lower levels of albumin,
superoxide dismutase, reduced glutathione, catalase, nitric oxide and
total antioxidant potential with significantly (p<0.05) higher levels of
total plasma peroxide, malondialdehyde, oxidative stress index and
neopterin were observed when compared with the non-PTB controls.
The result indicates significantly higher levels of cellular activation,
free radical load and oxidative stress with associated antioxidants
depletion in PTB patients.
Conclusion: Oxidative stress and increased level of neopterin are
features of pulmonary tuberculosis. Since most of the antioxidants
regulating the free radical load and oxidative stress are micronutrient
dependent, micronutrient supplementation may be required as
adjuvant therapy in the management of PTB patients.