From the Istituto di Fisiopatologia Medica (D.L., S. de G., G.C., A.M.,
F.C.), Istituto di Patologia Chirurgica (S.U., A.M.N.), Cattedra di
Cardiochirurgia (A.M.C.), and Istituto di Scienze Biochimiche (C. Di I.),
Universitá degli Studi "G. D'Annunzio,"
Facoltá di Medicina e Chirurgia, 66100 Chieti, Italy.
Correspondence to Domenico Lapenna, MD, c/o Presidenza Facoltá di Medicina e Chirurgia, Via dei Vestini, 66100 Chieti, Italy.
Background—Oxidative stress,
resulting from an antioxidant/prooxidant imbalance, seems to be crucial
in atherogenesis. Recent evidence has emerged, however, of a
surprisingly high content of low-molecular-weight antioxidants in human
atherosclerotic plaques, although other antioxidant systems have not
been investigated in these lesions.
Methods and Results—We studied glutathione-related antioxidant
defenses (which play a key role in tissue antioxidant protection) in
carotid atherosclerotic plaques of 13 patients subjected to
endarterectomy and in normal internal mammary
arteries of 13 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass
surgery. Selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase activity was
undetectable in the plaques of 7 patients; the other 6 patients with
plaques showed a mean enzymatic activity
Conclusions—A weak glutathione-related enzymatic antioxidant
shield is present in human atherosclerotic lesions. Although the
cause of this phenomenon remains to be determined, the present data
suggest that a specific antioxidant/prooxidant imbalance operative in
the vascular wall may be involved in atherogenic processes in humans.
© 1998 American Heart Association, Inc.
Clinical Investigation and Reports
Glutathione-Related Antioxidant Defenses in Human Atherosclerotic Plaques
3.5-fold lower than that of
mammary arteries. Glutathione reductase activity was also markedly
lower in the plaques than in the arteries. Glutathione transferase
instead had comparable activity in the two tissues. Remarkably, 5 of
the 7 patients with an undetectable selenium-dependent glutathione
peroxidase activity but none of the 6 with a detectable one were
characterized by multivascular atherosclerotic involvement (3 patients)
or stenosis of the contralateral carotid artery (2
patients).
Key Words: atherosclerosis • antioxidants • enzymes
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