Sacred Heart Journal

Abstract : Background: Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is a major health problem in many parts of the world particularly in Sub-Saharan African countries. The disorder is characterized by chronic hemolytic events that result in increased generation of free radicals leading to excessive consumption and depletion of body antioxidants. Aim: This study evaluated the total antioxidant status (TAS) of children with SCA, aged 1–17 years, comparing findings among steady state, vaso-occlusive crisis and hemoglobin AA (HbAA) matched controls. Materials and Methods: Study participants were 50 children with SCA and 50 HbAA matched controls. Sociodemographic characteristics and clinical history were documented using pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaires. Physical examination was conducted and blood samples collected for serum TAS estimation. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS version 21 and P-value of significance was set at <0.05. Results: SCA subjects in vaso-occlusive crisis had lower mean serum TAS level than those in steady state (7.4 ± 3.5 vs 8.4 ± 4.0mmol/L) but this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.18). The mean TAS level of SCA patients either in steady state (8.4 ± 4.0 mmol/L) or vaso-occlusive crisis (7.5 ± 3.5 mmol/L) was higher than 7.0 ± 4.1 mmol/L for matched (HbAA) controls but the difference was also not statistically significant (F = 1.54, P = 0.09). Conclusion: This study shows that the TAS level of SCA children in steady state was higher than that of those in vaso-occlusive crisis, though not statistically significant. This may be an adaptive mechanism to counteract the oxidative stress seen in chronic inflammatory conditions like SCA.

Abstract Objective In this study, it urns aimed to investigate oxidant / antioxidant status in placenta and in blood and cord blood samples from pregnant women supplemented with iron during pregnancy. Methods For this purpose, 27 pregnant women at admission for delivery participated in the study. Fifteen of them did not take iron tablets and the others took oral iron supplements during pregnancy. Following delivery, part of the placenta and blood and cord blood samples were taken from the mothers. In these samples, oxidant parameters (malondialdehyde [MDA] levels and xanthine oxidase [XO] activities) and antioxidant parameters (antioxidant potential [AOP] values, superoxide dismutase [SOD], catalase [CA T] and glutathione peroxidase [GSH-Px] activities) were studied. Results It was found that MDA level and SOD activities increased significantly in the placentas from the iron-supplemented group as compared with those from the control group. We also observed that activities of SOD and XO enzymes in maternal erythrocytes, XO in cord blood erythrocytes and GSH-Px activities in cord blood plasma decreased significantly. However, activities of CAT and GSH-Px enzymes in cord blood erythrocytes and MDA levels in maternal plasma increased in the iron-supplemented group as compared with those from the control group. Conclusion Increased MDA levels in the maternal plasma and the placenta in the iron-supplemented group suggests that iron supplementation may contribute to increased oxidative stress in women taking iron supplements during pregnancy.