title: Antioxidant status and lipoprotein peroxidation in chronic fatigue syndrome.
abstract: The aetiology and pathogenesis of the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) are still largely unresolved. Accompanying metabolic disorders such as selective n-6 fatty acid depletion suggest that oxidative stress and more specifically lipid peroxidation might play a role in its pathogenesis. In order to investigate this hypothesis, oxidant-antioxidant status and its impact on lipoprotein peroxidation in vitro was examined in 61 patients with unexplained fatigue lasting more than 1 month. They were subdivided into 2 groups: group CFS+ (33 subjects) fulfilled the 1988 Center of Disease Control criteria for CFS and group CFS- did not but was similar as regards age, sex distribution and clinical characteristics. Antioxidant status was similar in the 2 groups except for lower serum transferrin in the CFS + (mean (95 % CI) 2.41 (2.28-2.54) versus 2.73 (2.54-2.92) g/L in the CFS-, p = 0.009) and higher lipoprotein peroxidation in vitro: 6630 (5949-7312) versus 5581 (4852-6310) nmol MDA/mg LDL and VLDL cholesterol x minutes, p = 0.035). CFS intensified the influence of LDL cholesterol (p = 0.012) and of transferrin (p = 0.045) on peroxidation in vitro, suggesting additional pro-oxidant effects. These results indicate that patients with CFS have increased susceptibility of LDL and VLDL to copper-induced peroxidation and that this is related both to their lower levels of serum transferrin and to other unidentified pro-oxidising effects of CFS.
authors.affiliation: University Hospital, University of Antwerp, Belgium. begona@uia.ua.ac.be
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Manuel y Keenoy
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Moorkens
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vertommen
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: De Leeuw
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism*; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D015243:Cholesterol, VLDL / Q000097:blood; D015673:Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000502:physiology*; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances / Q000378:metabolism; D014168:Transferrin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D015243:Cholesterol, VLDL; D008074:Lipoproteins; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances; D014168:Transferrin