Oxidant/antioxidant status of the erythrocytes from patients with rheumatoid arthritis

It has been suggested that enzymatic and/or non-enzymatic antioxidant systems are impaired in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and hence patients are exposed to oxidant stress. This study aimed to establish whether this is really the case. Fasting blood samples were obtained from 24 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 20 controls. The activities of erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and xanthine oxidase (XO) enzymes and malondialdehyde (MDA), oxidant resistant (OR) and non-enzymatic superoxide radical scavenger activity (NSSA) values were measured in both groups. Patients with RA had higher SOD and XO activities and MDA levels than did the controls. However, NSSA and OR levels were found to be decreased, and CAT and GSH-Px activities unchanged in the study group. Results suggest that excessive free radical production through the xanthine-xanthine oxidase system is the primary factor in rheumatoid arthritis, rather than an impaired antioxidant system. The therapeutic use of XO enzyme inhibitors and some antioxidants can be beneficial in this regard.