The influence of the serum vitamin C levels on oxidative stress biomarkers in elderly women.
OBJECTIVE
To verify if there is influence of the vitamin C blood levels on oxidative stress markers in elderly people. In order to verify it, women from a public retirement home were compared to non-institutionalized ones; all of them were in healthy conditions.


METHODS
Vitamin C, albumin, reduced glutathione, malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyls and delta-aminolevulinate dehydratase activity (ALA-D) were analyzed in older women either from a public retirement home (n=45) or non-institutionalized (n=22).


RESULTS
The institutionalized ones showed significant decrease for vitamin C levels (p=0.002), ALA-D and MDA (p<0.05). Correlations were found between vitamin C and both albumin and ALA-D, also between ALA-D and both protein carbonyls and age.


CONCLUSIONS
The institutionalized women presented decreased vitamin C, albumin, MDA and ALA-D compared to non-institutionalized. Thus, it could be suggested that vitamin C tends to protect blood thiolic proteins. Moreover, its blood delta-aminoevulinate dehydratase activity seemed to be an additional biomarker of oxidation stress in healthy elderly.
Paniz
Clóvis
C
Post-Graduate Program on Biochemical Toxicology, Center of Natural and Exact Sciences, Federal University of Santa Maria, 97105-900, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
Bairros
André
A
Valentini
Juliana
J
Charão
Mariele
M
Bulcão
Rachel
R
Moro
Angela
A
Grune
Tilman
T
Garcia
Solange Cristina
SC
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005978:Glutathione / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D000623:Porphobilinogen Synthase / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D050050:Protein Carbonylation; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis
D015415:Biomarkers; D012709:Serum Albumin; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D000623:Porphobilinogen Synthase; D005978:Glutathione; D001205:Ascorbic Acid