The Short-term Effects of Antioxidant and Zinc Supplements on Oxidative Stress Biomarker Levels in Plasma: A Pilot Investigation

Abstract

Purpose To determine if short-term Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) antioxidant and zinc supplementation affects biomarkers of oxidative stress, possibly serving as a predictor of their efficacy. Design Prospective interventional case series Methods Nineteen subjects, 12 with intermediate or advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) (AREDS categories 3 or 4) and 7 non-AMD controls, were admitted to the Vanderbilt General Clinical Research Center and placed on a controlled diet for 7 days. Antioxidant and zinc supplements were stopped two weeks prior to study enrollment. Dietary supplementation with 500 mg vitamin C, 400 IU vitamin E, 15 mg β-carotene, 80 mg zinc oxide, and 2 mg cupric oxide per day was instituted on Study Day 2. Blood was drawn on Study Days 2 and 7, and plasma concentrations of cysteine (Cys), cystine (CySS), glutathione (GSH), isoprostane (IsoP), and isofuran (IsoF) were determined. Results Short-term AREDS supplementation significantly lowered mean plasma levels of CySS in participants on a regulated diet (p = 0.034). No significant differences were observed for Cys, GSH, IsoP, or IsoF. There were no significant differences between AMD patients and controls. Conclusions This pilot interventional study shows that a 5-day course of antioxidant and zinc supplements can modify plasma levels of CySS, suggesting that this oxidative stress biomarker could help predict how likely an individual is to benefit from AREDS supplementation. Further, CySS may be useful for the evaluation of new AMD therapies, particularly those hypothesized to affect redox status.

Strategies to decrease oxidative stress biomarker levels in human medical conditions: A meta-analysis on 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α

“…The remaining 278 references could be utilized to establish the increase in 8-iso-PGF 2α levels associated with medical conditions [61], [62], [63], [64], [65], [66], [67], [68], [69], [70], [71], [72], [73], [74], [75], [76], [77], [78], [79], [80], [81], [82], [83], [84], [85], [86], [87], [88], [89], [90], [91], [92], [93], [94], [95], [96], [97], [98], [99], [100], [101], [102], [103], [104], [105], [106], [107], [108], [109], [110], [111], [112], [113], [114], [115], [116], [117], [118], [119], [120], [121], [122], [123], [124], [125], [126], [127], [128], [129], [130], [131], [132], [133], [134], [135], [136], [137], [138], [139], [140], [141], [142], [143], [144], [145], [146]…”

Taurine zinc solid dispersions protect against cold-restraint stress-induced gastric ulceration by upregulating HSP70 and exerting an anxiolytic effect

“…Zinc deficiency leads to oxidative stress and, consequently, increased oxidative damage to DNA, proteins and lipids. Zinc supplementation decreases the plasma levels of oxidative stress biomarkers in humans (Brantley et al, 2012). Zinc deficiency intensifies ethanol-induced ulceration as a result of increased depletion of glutathione (Cho et al, 1988).…”

Review of nutrient actions on age-related macular degeneration

“…In fact, metallothioneins, which bind to zinc, have a strong affinity for copper; where high levels of metallothioneins, induced by zinc excess, may cause a decrease in intestinal copper absorption. Similarly, copper intake can affect the zinc nutritional status [42], and zinc supplementation might even affect cysteine levels [55,56]. The first evidence of the role of zinc supplementation in AMD was published in 1988.…”