Influence of polychemotherapy on the antioxidant levels and lipid peroxidation in patients with lymphoproliferative diseases

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to compare the oxidative stress parameters such as the extent of lipid peroxidation and the status of antioxidants in patients with lymphoproliferative diseases. The effect of polychemotherapy on the level of lipid peroxidation products and on the activities of antioxidant defense enzymes was also investigated. Lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde or MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and ceruloplasmin (CER) activities, were measured in 58 patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and acute lymphoblastic leukemia before treatment, during and after polychemotherapy. Plasma levels of MDA and CER in plasma were increased in comparison with the control group before any treatment. Erythrocyte SOD activity was significantly lower but CAT activity was significantly higher in patients than those in controls. Moreover, the levels of MDA and CER increased by the effect of the different regimens of polychemotherapy, which appeared to be compromised by augmented activity of antioxidant enzymes SOD and CAT. The levels of plasma MDA were found to be significantly higher in comparison to the control group for patients treated with cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisolon (CVP) and adriamicine, bleomicine, vinblastine, dacarbasine (ABVD), (p<0.01). Erythrocyte SOD statistically decreased (p<0.001) and CAT activities statistically increased in patients treated with CVP and ABVD (p<0.001). In conclusion, our results suggest that after polychemotherapy, the oxidative stress and the imbalance of antioxidant enzyme systems significantly progresses in patients with lymphoproliferative hematological diseases. Patients treated with CVP and ABVD are at the biggest risk of oxidative injury. Thus, the antioxidant status of cancer patients may play an important role in their response to chemotherapy.