Increased Serum Nitrite/Nitrate (NOx) and Malondialdehyde (MDA) Levels During Alcohol Withdrawal in Alcoholic Patients

Abstract

Serum nitrite/nitrate (NOx) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels of 40 male alcoholic patients and 14 healthy male controls were investigated. Severity of alcohol withdrawal in alcoholic patients was evaluated by using the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol (CIWA-Ar) scale just before taking the blood samples. NOx levels in serum samples were determined based on the reduction of nitrate to nitrite by vanadium chloride. MDA levels were also determined spectrophotometrically at 540 nm. The total CIWA-Ar score of alcohol-withdrawn patients was found to be 17.7. NOx and MDA levels were significantly increased in alcoholics during alcohol withdrawal as compared to control subjects. In conclusion, we observed increased serum NOx levels and lipid peroxidation during alcohol withdrawal in alcoholic patients.

The Relevance of Oxidative Stress Status in One Week and One Month Alcohol Abstinent Patients

“…This was demonstrated for the antioxidant enzymes such as SOD, GPX and CAT (12,19,20), but also for the classic antioxidants such as glutathione (21). Also, the lipid peroxidation processes, as evaluated through the various levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), were reported to be significantly decreased in the CSF or blood of chronic alcohol consumers (16,22,23).…”

“…Also, for MDA, the main marker of the lipid peroxidation processes, while several studies have found elevated levels in the serum of patients undergoing alcohol withdrawal (20,22,29), there are also reports describing clear reductions in the various markers lipid peroxidation following alcohol withdrawal (12,30).…”

“…Another important aspect could be represented by the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) toxicity, which is known as an important mechanism in the alcohol withdrawal symptoms, by increasing both ROS and nitric oxide (NO), through the upregulation of NO synthase (NOS) (22,32). This could be very important, considering that lately there is an increased awareness regarding the interactions that might exist between the oxidative and nitrosative stress status in various cellular insults (33).…”

Alcohol Dependence in Taiwan: From Epidemiology to Biomedicine

“…In comparison to controls, MDA levels are increased significantly in alcoholics. 36,37 Antioxidant activities are generally decreased in chronic alcoholics. After withdrawal, SOD and GPX activities are reduced, while CAT activity is unchanged from the baseline levels.…”

Alcohol Use Accelerates HIV Disease Progression

“…2 Similarly, alcohol consumption is common in populations with HIV disease, with some studies showing a prevalence of alcohol abuse up to 50% in this population. [3][4][5] Alcohol is an immunosuppressant acting directly through T cell apoptosis, 6,7 mitochondrial damage, [8][9][10][11][12][13][14] inhibition of T cell responses, natural killer (NK) cell activity, and macrophage phagocytic activity. 15 Indirectly, alcohol also suppresses the immune system through alcohol-induced malnutrition and liver disease.…”