Behaviour of some indicators of oxidative stress in postmenopausal and fertile women.
OBJECTIVE
Unsaturated fatty acids are known to have a crucial role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. They are very sensitive to oxidation caused by excess free oxygen radicals and the consequent oxidative status, and it is well known that lipid and lipoprotein metabolism is markedly altered in postmenopausal women. Oxidative stress is involved in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis and our study aim was to assess the presence of such stress in postmenopausal women.


METHODS
One hundred and one women were enrolled in the study. Fifty were fertile (32.5+/-1.1 years) with regular menses and fifty-one were postmenopausal women (52.1+/-1.3 years). None of the study cohort had ever used hormone replacement therapy. Malonaldehyde (MDA), 4-hydroxynenal (4-HNE), oxidized lipoproteins (ox LDL) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) values were determined as we believe they reveal oxidative stress.


RESULTS
MDA, 4-HNE and ox LDL concentrations were higher in postmenopausal than fertile women (p<0.001), while GSH-PX concentrations were significantly higher in fertile women than in postmenopausal subjects (p<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Our data revealed the presence of oxidative stress in postmenopausal women.
Signorelli
Salvatore Santo
SS
Department of Internal Medicine and Systemic Disease, Section of Medical Angiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Catania, Via Firenze 123, 95020 Acicastello (CT), Italy. ssignore@unict.it
Neri
Sergio
S
Sciacchitano
Salvatore
S
Pino
Luigi Di
LD
Costa
Maria Pia
MP
Marchese
Giuseppe
G
Celotta
Gabriella
G
Cassibba
Nunziata
N
Pennisi
Giuseppe
G
Caschetto
Sarina
S
D000328:Adult; D000447:Aldehydes / Q000097:blood; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000209:etiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000502:physiology*; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000097:blood; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology*; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*
D000447:Aldehydes; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL; C099252:oxidized low density lipoprotein; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; C027576:4-hydroxy-2-nonenal