Abstract
Objectives
Lipid peroxidation plays an important role in the development of atherosclerosis, a chronic, age-related disease process of the arterial wall with onset decades prior to its clinical manifestations. The aim of the study was to assess the association between the intima media thickness (IMT) of the major arteries as a clinical marker of atherosclerosis and markers of lipid peroxidation along with the antioxidant status in humans.
Design
Case-control study.
Setting
A university-affiliated outpatient clinic.
Subjects
Thirty patients (22 males, 8 females; 70.4 ± 7.3 years) with atherosclerosis of the carotid or iliofemoral arteries and 62 healthy controls (30 males, 32 females; 68.3 ± 4.3 years).
Methods
Plasma levels of 8,12-isoprostane F2α-VI (8,12-IPF2α-VI) were measured by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, whereas levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), vitamins A (retinol) and E (α- and γ-tocopherol), and carotenoids were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. The IMT was measured by B-mode ultrasonography.
Results
Patients showed, independent of fruit and vegetable intake, significantly lower plasma levels of retinol, α-tocopherol, and all carotenoids excluding β-cryptoxanthin compared with controls. On the contrary, plasma 8,12-IPF2α-VI levels were almost doubled (p < .001) and MDA levels increased by one-third (p < .01) in atherosclerotic patients compared with controls.
Conclusions
The analyses of isoprostanes and antioxidant nutrients in plasma as markers of oxidative stress and the parallel evaluation of IMT as a structural marker of atherosclerosis are suitable tools for investigating the role of antioxidants and oxidative stress in atherosclerosis.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.