Plasma level of malondialdehyde in the cases of acute paraquat intoxication.
BACKGROUND, MATERIAL, AND METHODS: To assess plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) level as a clinical marker in acute paraquat (PQ) intoxication, we sequentially investigated 74 patients (40 males and 34 females, aged 49.9 +/- 16.2 years), all of whom ingested PQ as a means of suicide from July to December 2008.


RESULTS
The baseline level of MDA (10.8 +/- 3.5 microM) had no correlation with plasma PQ levels of 22.1 +/- 48.7 microg/mL (median: 1.9, range <0.01-228.5) or with volume of PQ ingested. However, the following parameters were significantly different between survivors and nonsurvivors: the amount of PQ ingestion, plasma PQ levels, basal MDA levels, WBC, hemoglobin, hematocrit, platelet counts, albumin, BUN, creatinine, potassium, amylase, and arterial blood gas analysis (pH, pCO(2), HCO(-)(3)).The nonsurvivors' baseline MDA (11.4 +/- 3.8 vs. 9.8 +/- 2.8, p = 0.040) was higher than the survivors. However, the baseline level was not a predictor of mortality in the univariate and the multivariate binary logistic analyses. Among the patients whose MDA levels were measured sequentially, 58.3% of the patients (35 out of 60) showed fluctuating MDA levels, 25% (n = 15) showed steady decreases, with only 16.6% (n = 10) showing steady increases in MDA levels during the observation period. These findings imply the presence of active MDA metabolism and/or that the half-life of MDA is very short in the human body.


CONCLUSIONS
Both cross-sectional and sequential measurements of plasma MDA do not provide reliable information on outcome in patients with acute PQ intoxication.
Gil
Hyo-Wook
HW
Department of Internal Medicine, Soonchunhyang University Hospital, 23-20 Bongmyung-Dong, Cheonan City, Korea.
Seok
Su-Jin
SJ
Jeong
Du-Shin
DS
Yang
Jong-Oh
JO
Lee
Eun-Young
EY
Hong
Sae-Yong
SY
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006207:Half-Life; D006540:Herbicides / Q000097:blood / Q000506:poisoning*; D006801:Humans; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010269:Paraquat / Q000097:blood / Q000506:poisoning*; D013405:Suicide; D013406:Suicide, Attempted
D015415:Biomarkers; D006540:Herbicides; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D010269:Paraquat