title: Circulating antioxidants in ulcerative colitis and their relationship to disease severity and activity.
abstract: Oxygen free radicals produced by neutrophils are important in the pathogenesis of mucosal damage in ulcerative colitis. Vitamin A, vitamin E and cysteine in the plasma can scavenge free radicals. In the present study, plasma levels of vitamin A, vitamin E, cysteine, cystine and protein-bound cysteine were measured in active ulcerative colitis before and immediately after treatment of the active disease, and correlated with disease severity, extent and activity. Plasma vitamin A and cysteine were significantly reduced in active ulcerative colitis compared with controls. Levels of vitamin E, cystine and protein-bound cysteine were not significantly altered in active ulcerative colitis. Vitamin A and cysteine concentrations returned to normal levels (P < 0.05) within 2 weeks of treating active colitis. There were significant negative correlations between clinical severity and the plasma concentrations of vitamin A and cysteine. Plasma cysteine levels also correlated inversely to disease extent. Depletion of the circulating antioxidants, vitamin A and cysteine, in active ulcerative colitis is likely to be important in the pathophysiology of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Research Laboratory, Christian Medical College Hospital, Vellore, India.
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Ramakrishna
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Varghese
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jayakumar
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mathan
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Balasubramanian
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000032:analysis*; D002648:Child; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D003545:Cysteine / Q000097:blood; D003553:Cystine / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D014801:Vitamin A; D014810:Vitamin E; D003553:Cystine; D003545:Cysteine