Abstract
The linkage between oxidative stress and idiopathic chronic fatigue (ICF) has not been explored in detail. This study thoroughly compared the serum levels of biomarkers for oxidative stress and antioxidants from 103 subjects with ICF (20 men and 83 women) to those of 82 healthy volunteers (27 men and 55 women). Oxidative parameters, which included reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA) and F2-isoprotan, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were significantly elevated, while antioxidant parameters, which included total antioxidant activity (TAC), catalase, superoxide dismutase, SOD and GSH activity, were decreased compared to those of healthy subjects (by approximately 1.2- to 2.3-fold, p < 0.05 or 0.01). Our results confirmed that oxidative stress is a key contributor in the pathophysiology of ICF, and firstly explored the features of oxidative stress parameters in ICF subjects compared to a healthy population.
Highlights
The etiologies of CFS and idiopathic chronic fatigue (ICF) are poorly understood, and currently there is a lack of effective therapeutic treatments for these conditions[5]
A status of excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation exceeding the capacity of antioxidant defense, is known to be involved in a wide range of pathophysiological processes, such as inflammation, vascular disorder, cancer, aging and chronic fatigue[14]
To gain the information necessary to establish the contribution of oxidative stress to ICF, we analyzed serum parameters between ICF subjects and healthy controls
Summary
The etiologies of CFS and ICF are poorly understood, and currently there is a lack of effective therapeutic treatments for these conditions[5]. Accumulated data suggest a link between oxidative stress and chronic fatigue, especially in CFS6. Evidence indicated increased levels of two oxidative stress biomarkers, plasma peroxides and serum oxidized LDL antibodies, in CFS patients[7]. Other studies reported that CFS symptoms were correlated with the blood levels of oxidative stress biomarkers, such as malondialdehyde and isoprostane[8,9]. One study suggested that ICF was linked to an alteration of the mitochondrial content rather than to oxidative damage in skeletal muscle of older adults[13]. No comparative study analyzing the blood status of oxidative stress and symptom expression in ICF subjects and healthy controls has been performed to date. We aimed to explore the features of oxidative stress parameters in subjects with ICF compared to a healthy population
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