Background: Complex underlying mechanisms consisting of cytotoxic, excitotoxic, and inflammatory effects of intraparenchymal hemorrhage (ICH) are responsible for the highly detrimental effects on brain tissue. Oxidative stress also plays a significant role in brain damage after ICH; however, it is less important than other factors. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the oxidative stress parameters malondialdehyde (MDA) and the antioxidant reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activities in operated and non-operated patients with spontaneous intracranial hematoma.
Methods: One hunderd patients with spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage and 100 healthy control subjects were included in this study. Within the indication, 50 of the 100 patients underwent decompressive surgery. MDA, GSH, SOD, and catalase activities were measured in the serum obtained from the patients.
Results: SOD and CAT levels were lower in the non-operated group than in the operated and control groups. GSH was not different between the operated and non-operated groups, but it was lower in the control group. However, MDA was higher in those who did not undergo surgery than in the other groups.
Conclusions: In our study, MDA, an indicator of oxidative stress, was found to be lower in the blood, and CAT and SOD activities were found to be higher in ICH patients who underwent decompression than in those who did not. This is the first study to present the correlations of MDA, SOD, CAT, and GSH in operated and non-operated patients with spontaneous intracranial hematoma.