title: The influence of the serum vitamin C levels on oxidative stress biomarkers in elderly women.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Post-Graduate Program on Biochemical Toxicology, Center of Natural and Exact Sciences, Federal University of Santa Maria, 97105-900, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Clóvis
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Paniz
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bairros
authors.forename: Juliana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Valentini
authors.forename: Mariele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Charão
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bulcão
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moro
authors.forename: Tilman
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Grune
authors.forename: Solange Cristina
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Garcia
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D012709:Serum Albumin; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D000623:Porphobilinogen Synthase; D005978:Glutathione; D001205:Ascorbic Acid