Oxidative Stress in Focal Symptomatic and Cryptogenic Epilepsy in Young Patients

Abstract

Objectives. To study oxidative stress in young patients with focal symptomatic and cryptogenic epilepsy and after first onset of epileptic seizures. Materials and methods. A total of 90 patients aged 19–44 years took part in the study and were divided into three groups of 30 patients after single epileptic seizures, with clinical remission for one year or more, and treatment-resistant epileptic seizures. The study also included presumptively healthy people (20 subjects) who made up the control group. Study indicators were prooxidant stress in terms of TBA-active products and antioxidant defense in terms of total plasma superoxide-scavenging activity, catalase activity, total plasma antioxidant activity, and reduced plasma thiols (SH groups). Results. No significant differences were found in the plasma TBA-active products concentration between epilepsy patients and the control group. The other study parameters (concentration of reduced SH groups, total plasma superoxide-scavenging activity, catalase activity) and total plasma antioxidant activity showed significant differences from controls. Significant between-group differences were found for a number of indicators. Conclusions. Changes in free-radical processes compared with normal were seen after first seizures and persisted in refractory epilepsy and in clinical remission. Given that measures of the activity of the antioxidant defense system showed significant differences between different groups of epilepsy patients, it can be suggested that different components of oxidative stress are activated after first epileptic seizures and in different courses of epilepsy.