Oxidative stress in focal symptomatic and cryptogenic epilepsy in young patients

Abstract

To study oxidative stress in young patients with focal symptomatic and cryptogenic epilepsy and after the new-onset epileptic seizures. Patients, aged from 19 to 44 years, were distributed into three groups, 30 patients in each: patients after a few (first) epileptic seizures, patients in the clinical remission that has lasted at least one year, and patients with treatment-resistant epileptic seizures. The control group included 20 healthy people. Parameters of the pro-oxidant status (TBA-reactive products) and the antioxidant defense (total superoxide-scavenging activity, catalase, total antioxidant activity, and reduced thiols (SH groups)) were measured in the blood plasma. No significant differences in the concentrations of TBA-reactive products were identified in patients with epilepsy compared with healthy controls while concentrations of reduced SH groups, total superoxide-scavenging activity, catalase activity and the total antioxidant activity were significantly decreased in patients. In addition, some of the parameters displayed significant differences between different groups of patients. In patients with epilepsy, the changes in the free-radical processes are seen already after the first seizures and persist in the treatment-resistant epilepsy and in clinical remission. Since the parameters of the activity of the antioxidant defense are significantly different in different groups of patients, one can assume that different elements of the oxidative stress are present after the first epileptic seizures and in different courses of the disease.