Relationship between oxidative stress and apoE phenotype in Alzheimer's disease

Objective - To investigate the relationship between oxidative stress and apoE phenotype in dementia of Alzheimer type (DAT). Material and methods - Hydroxyl radical content in blood, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in red blood cells (RBC) and plasma, Cu,Zn-SOD protein content in RBC, and apoE phenotype were determined in 24 DAT patients and 25 controls. Results - DAT patients with the apoE4 phenotype showed higher hydroxyl radical levels than DAT patients without the apoE4 phenotype or controls. SOD activities and Cu,Zn-SOD protein levels in RBC of DAT patients with and without the apoE4 phenotype showed no significant differences, but values in both patient groups were lower than in controls. The apoE4 phenotype was more prevalent in DAT patients than in controls. DAT patients with the apoE4 phenotype were younger at disease onset than DAT patients without the apoE4 phenotype. Conclusion - Our findings suggest that apoE4 and SOD individually influence oxidative stress in DAT.