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Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is an inflammatory disorder with unknown etiology that mainly affects the axial skeleton as well as the peripheral joints and extra-articular structures. The aim of this study was to evaluate the total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidative status (TOS) and oxidative stress index (OSI) in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Fifty AS patients with a mean Bath AS Activity Index (BASDAI) 4.6 (range 4-9.3) and 26 healthy controls were included in the study. Plasma TAS, TOS levels were determined by using novel automated methods. The OSI was calculated. Plasma TOS level and OSI values were significantly higher, and plasma TAS level was lower in patients than in healthy controls (15.8 +/- 4. 9 vs. 4.3 +/- 2.8, 12.8 +/- 3. 9 vs. 9.6 +/- 5.5, 1.2 +/- 0.03 vs. 1.8 +/- 0.2, respectively, P < 0.001 for all). There was no significant correlation between oxidant/antioxidant parameters and disease activity. The results of this study indicated that increased oxidant and decreased antioxidant capacity may be associated with the pathogenesis of AS.

There is a reciprocal regulation of arginase and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in L-arginine-metabolizing pathways. Nitric oxide (NO) may be involved in some psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia, depression and bipolar affective disorder (BPAD). To our knowledge, there is no study in the literature in which the role of arginase, an important part of the arginine regulatory system affecting NOS activity, was investigated in BPAD. This study aims to investigate arginase, manganese (Mn) and total nitrite levels (a metabolite of NO) and their relationship to the arginine-NO pathway in patients with BPAD. Arginase activities, Mn and total nitrite levels were measured in plasma from forty-three patients with BPAD (Type one) and thirty-one healthy control subjects. Plasma arginase activities and Mn were found to be significantly lower and total nitrite level higher in patients with BPAD compared with controls. Our results suggest that the arginine-NO pathway is involved in the pathogenesis of BPAD.

The results suggest that the L-arginine-NO pathway is involved in the pathophysiology of asthma; the arginase activities decrease which causes an increase in the L-arginine levels thereby up-regulation of NO production may contribute to the increase of oxidative stress in asthma.