title: Assessment of salivary and serum antioxidant status in patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to determine the possible association of oxidant/antioxidant status and recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS).
  
  
  METHODS
  The study consisted of thirty-one patients with RAS and thirty-two healthy controls from whom saliva and blood samples were collected. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx) and catalase (CAT) were measured in erythrocytes and total antioxidant status (TAS) was measured in plasma and saliva.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Erythrocyte SOD activity was significantly lower in RAS patients in comparison to healthy controls (P=0.012). No significant differences were found in erythrocyte GSHPx, CAT activities, and salivary and plasma TAS between RAS patients and control subjects (p>0.1).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Changes in SOD activity may be important in the inflammatory reactions observed in RAS, but other tested defense systems such as CAT and GSHPx do not seem to play a primary role in the aetiopathogenesis of RAS. Moreover, the antioxidant system in saliva and plasma is not as affected as in erythrocytes in RAS patients, and therefore it may not be considered an appropriate indicator of the body's total antioxidant status.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Medicine and Dental Research Center, Dental School, Tehran university of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Jalil
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Momen-Beitollahi
authors.forename: Arash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mansourian
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Momen-Heravi
authors.forename: Masoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amanlou
authors.forename: Stoyana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Obradov
authors.forename: Mahnaz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sahebjamee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002374:Catalase / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D012008:Recurrence; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry*; D013281:Stomatitis, Aphthous / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D002374:Catalase; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase