Antioxidants in erythrocytes in aging and dementia

Abstract

Age of patients and brain oxidative stress may contribute to pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Erythrocytes (red blood cells, RBC) are considered as passive “reporter cells” for the oxidative status of the whole organism and are not well studied in AD. The aim of this work was to assess whether the antioxidant status of RBC changes in aging and AD. Blood was taken from AD and non-Alzheimer's dementia patients, aged-matched and younger controls. In vivo antioxidant status was assessed in each of the study subjects by measuring RBC levels of Н О , organic hydroperoxides, glutathione (GSH) and glutathione disulfide (GSSG), activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, glutathione S-transferase, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. In both aging and dementia, oxidative stress in RBC was shown to increase and to be expressed in elevated concentrations of H O and organic hydroperoxides, decreased the GSH/GSSG ratio and glutathione S-transferase activity. Decreased glutathione peroxidase activity in RBC may be considered as a new peripheral marker for Alzheimer’s disease while alterations of other parameters of oxidative stress reflect age-related events.

Neuroprotective mechanisms of astaxanthin: a potential therapeutic role in preserving cognitive function in age and neurodegeneration

“…In this study, plasma and erythrocyte levels of PLOOH were significantly decreased in both low-and high-dose groups compared to the control group. This finding maybe significant because it has been suggested that elevated erythrocyte membrane oxidation is associated with neurodegenerative diseases (Bosman et al 1991;Giavarotti et al 2013;Goodall et al 1994;Kawamoto et al 2005;Kawamoto et al 2013;Kosenko et al 2013).…”