title: Nimodipine can diminish oxidative stress in patients with severe head trauma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Antioxidative effect of nimodipine was investigated in patient with severe head trauma.
  
  
  METHODS
  The patients in group A were treated according to the standard procedures without nimodipine. Other patients in group B were treated with standard procedures plus intravenous nimodipine for a week. Three times per day, blood samples were taken from internal jugular venous saturation probe and central venous catheter for a week. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), nitrite, and nitrate, ascorbic acid, retinol and β-carotene in the serum were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MDA levels in group B were significantly lower than those in the group A (P<0.05). As for GSH levels, it was observed that there was a significant increase in GSH levels in group B when compared to those in group A (P<0.01). Comparison of nitrate and nitrite levels in the serum of patient groups showed that these parameters were significantly higher in group B than those in group A (P<0.01). It was seen that there were a significant increase in ascorbic acid (P<0.01) and β-carotene (P<0.05) levels in group B when compared to those in group A. Values of retinol levels were slightly higher in group B than that of group A, and there was no significant difference between the groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Severe head trauma may increase oxidative stress. Administration of nimodipine may prevent the oxidative stress and may augment endogenous antioxidative defense systems in patients with severe head trauma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey. aaslan71@yahoo.com
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aslan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gurelik
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cemek
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buyukokuroglu
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Goksel
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Eser
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000097:blood; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002648:Child; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005978:Glutathione / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D009553:Nimodipine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D009566:Nitrates / Q000097:blood; D009573:Nitrites / Q000097:blood; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood; D055815:Young Adult; D019207:beta Carotene / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D009566:Nitrates; D009573:Nitrites; D019207:beta Carotene; D014801:Vitamin A; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D009553:Nimodipine; D005978:Glutathione; D001205:Ascorbic Acid