title: Antioxidant erythrocyte enzyme activities during oral contraception.
abstract: Nineteen healthy young women, non-smokers and of normal weight, used a combined oral contraceptive, consisting of 20 micrograms ethinylestradiol and 150 micrograms desogestrel, for 9 cycles and were investigated before starting oral contraceptive use, and during the 3rd, 6th and 9th cycle. In all cases, the antioxidant erythrocyte enzyme activities, superoxide-dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione-peroxidase (GSH-Px), were determined. Pyruvate-kinase (PK) activity was also considered as a predictable index of the age and constancy of the erythrocyte population. A steady, significant increase in GSH-Px and CAT enzyme activities was found. No significant variations were found in SOD and PK enzyme levels. These findings clearly suggest that the use of combined oral contraceptives leads to an increase in antioxidant defenses. The specific physiological and biochemical mechanisms of this response merit further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Massafra
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Buonocore
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Berni
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gioia
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giuliani
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vezzosi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000975:Antioxidants; D002374:Catalase / Q000097:blood*; D003276:Contraceptives, Oral; D017135:Desogestrel; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000201:enzymology*; D004997:Ethinyl Estradiol; D005260:Female; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D011770:Pyruvate Kinase / Q000097:blood; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D003276:Contraceptives, Oral; D004997:Ethinyl Estradiol; D017135:Desogestrel; D002374:Catalase; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D011770:Pyruvate Kinase