Superoxide Dismutase and Vitamin E Levels in Serum as Indicators in Patients with Acute and Chronic Leukemia

Abstract

Oxidative stress has been linked to the development of a variety of malignancies, including leukemia. Furthermore, the incidence of leukemia increases with age due to an increase in the number of free radicals reacting with age and a lower ability of the immune system to detoxify those free radicals. This study aims to investigate the levels of antioxidant activity and their relationship with various types of leukemia. The current study was carried out in the Hematology section of Baghdad Teaching Hospital/Medical City from November 2020 to January 2021. Patients with leukemia (n = 60) were divided into four groups based on their leukemia type: Acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL), and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). These groups were compared to 30 healthy subjects. In this study, serum levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and vitamin E were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The findings revealed that (Mean±SE) SOD levels were observed to be raised with age, but (Mean±SE) vitamin E levels decreased with age in leukemia patients. There were no statistically significant differences in gender (males and females). Compared with healthy subjects, the results showed a significant increase in SOD levels in ALL, AML, CLL, and CML (P < 0.01). There were no statistically significant differences observed in vitamin E levels in ALL, AML, and CML except for the CLL group, which showed a significant decrease compared to the healthy subjects. Positive correlations were found between SOD and age (r = 0.367 P < 0.01). These results suggest that SOD and vitamin E levels play a critical role as an indicator of acute and chronic leukemia.