Purpose:
Contribution of oxidative stress in various ocular disorders is known.In our study, the role of oxidative stress in patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and senile cataract (SC) was investigated. For this purpose, the products of free radical metabo-lism and activities of antioxidant enzymes in blood plasma and aqueous humor were measured.
Material-Methods:
In 27 patients with POAG and 25 patients with SC,blood plasma befo-re surgery and aquous humor at the time of surgery were obtained. Malondialdehyde (MDH), reduced glutathion (GSH) and glutathione peroxidase (G-Px) was studied with spectrophoto-metrically in plasma; 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8 OH-dG) was measured with ELISA met-hod.This values were compared with results of 28 age matched healthy individuals.On the other hand, in aqueous humor, which is obtained from eyes with glaucoma and/or cataract, 8OH-dG levels were measured. In all three groups, age and gender comparison was made with Chi-squa-re test; differences of MDA, GSH, G-Px and 8OH-dG levels were studied with unpaired t-test.Significance level was accepted as p<0.05.
Results:
In all study groups no significant difference between age and sex found (p>0.05). In patients with either POAG or SC, the level of GSH and G-Px, which are the indicators of an-tioxidant potential, was found half and 1/3 of the level of control group, respectively. The levels of MDA and 8OH-dG, which are free radical metabolits, in patients with glaucoma and/or cataract almost twice the level in control group (p<0.05). Between the patients with glaucoma and the patients with cataract the levels of MDA, GSH,G-Px and 8OH-dG in either plasma or aquo-us humor were not found significantly different (p>0.05).
Conclusion:
In patients with POAG or SC, plasma levels of potential antioxidant indicators were found lower than control group and free radical metabolism products higher than control group. These results suggests that oxidative stress may be playing a role in pathogenesis of both of these two diseases.
Keywords: Oxidative stres, primary open angle glaucoma, senile cataract, antioxidant potential