title: Total antioxidant capacity in Eales' disease, uveitis & cataract.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The human system possesses antioxidants that act harmoniously to neutralize the harmful oxidants. This study was aimed to evaluate the serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC) as a single parameter in Eales' disease (ED) and in an acute inflammatory condition such as uveitis and in cataract which is chronic, compared to healthy controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  The TAC assay was done spectrophotometrically in the serum of Eales' disease cases (n=20) as well as in other ocular pathologies involving oxidative stress namely, uveitis and cataract (n=20 each). The oxidative stress measured in terms of TBARS, was correlated with the TAC. Individual antioxidants namely vitamin C, E and glutathione were also estimated and correlated with TAC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  TAC was found to be significantly lower in Eales' disease with active vasculitis (0.28 ± 0.09 mM, P<0.001), Eales' disease with healed vasculitis (0.67 ± 0.09 mM), uveitis (0.46 ± 0.09 mM, P<0.001) and cataract (0.53 ± 0.1 mM, P=0.001) compared to the healthy controls, with a TAC level of 0.77 ± 0.09 mM. The TAC was found to correlate positively with vitamin E levels (P=0.05), GSH (P=0.02) but not with vitamin C, as seen in ED cases. In ED cases supplemented with vitamin E and C, there was a significant increase in the TAC level (P=0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The TAC measurement provided a comprehensive assay for establishing a link between the antioxidant capacity and the risk of disease as well as monitoring antioxidant therapy. This method is a good substitute for assay of individual antioxidants as it clearly gives the status of the oxidative stress in the disease process.
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry and Cell Biology Department, Vision Research Foundation, Chennai, India.
authors.forename: Radhakrishnan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Selvi
authors.forename: Narayanasamy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Angayarkanni
authors.forename: Jyotirmay
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Biswas
authors.forename: Sivaramakrishnan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramakrishnan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D002386:Cataract / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005978:Glutathione / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D031300:Retinal Vasculitis / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D013053:Spectrophotometry; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances / Q000378:metabolism; D014605:Uveitis / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances; D014810:Vitamin E; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D005978:Glutathione; D001205:Ascorbic Acid