Prooxidative/antioxidative homeostasis in heroin addiction and detoxification.
BACKGROUND
Long-term heroin abuse is related to pathological changes in many organs mediated by oxidative stress (OS).


OBJECTIVE
Estimation of systemic OS and antioxidant capacity in heroin addiction and detoxification provides information about prooxidant/antioxidant homeostasis in heroin misuse and need for antioxidant supplementation.


METHODS
OS was evaluated by the measurement of plasma reactive oxygen metabolites using spectrophotometric method and plasma lipid peroxidation by its end product--malondyaldehyd using Tiobarbituric Acid Reactions Substances method. The extracellular antioxidant capacity was estimated using OXY-adsorbent test.


RESULTS
This cross-sectional study includes 68 patients: 46 heroin addicts (20 patients on chronic heroin abuse, 19 patients on conventional method of detoxification and 7 patients on opioid antagonist--naltrexone (and 22 patients as a control) group. Increased OS was found in the heroin group (d-ROMs 349.3 +/- 102.2 UCarr, MDA 4.0 +/- 0.4 micromol/L) compared to the group on detoxification (d-ROMs 230.2 +/- 96.4 UCarr; MDA 3.6 +/- 0.3 micromol/L) and control group (d-ROMs 264.1 +/- 30.9 UCarr; MDA 3.7 +/- 0.2 micromol/L). TAC was decreased in the heroin group (324.5 +/- 75.0 micromol HClO/ml) and restored during conventional detoxification (371.8 +/- 25.1 micromol HClO/ml), but not completely in the group with naltrexone treatment (335.6 +/- 16.9 micromol HClO/ml) compared with controls (395.4 +/- 35.6 micromol HClO/ml).


CONCLUSIONS
Long-term heroin abuse stimulates a progressive systemic oxidative stress which increases the extracellular antioxidants consumption and develops conditions for chronic heroin toxicity (Fig. 1, Tab. 4, Ref. 35). Full Text (Free, PDF) www.bmj.sk.
Pereska
Z
Z
Clinic of Toxicology and Urgent Internal Medicine, Medical Faculty, University Saint Cyril and Methodius-Skopje, Macedonia. perevska@yahoo.com
Dejanova
B
B
Bozinovska
C
C
Petkovska
L
L
D000328:Adult; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D008297:Male; D009271:Naltrexone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism*
D000975:Antioxidants; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D009271:Naltrexone