title: The role of iron overload on oxidative stress in sickle cell anemia.
abstract: Repeated blood transfusions in patients with sickle cell anemia (SCA) increases the risk of iron overload (IO), contributing to oxidative stress.
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood samples of 15 SCA patients without IO (group 1) and 15 SCA patients with IO (group 2) and 30 healthy individuals were collected to investigate oxidative stress. IO was categorized using repeated measures of serum ferritin. The biomarkers evaluated were plasmatic malondialdehyde (MDA), nitrite and erythrocyte catalase.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MDA and nitrite were higher in group 2 than in group 1 and the healthy group (p < 0.001 for MDA and nitrite). Catalase presented lower in group 2 than group 1 and the healthy group (p < 0.001). We obtained a positive correlation between ferritin and MDA (r = 0.40; p < 0.02), and between ferritin and nitrite (r = 0359; p = 0.023).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results demonstrated that IO is an important risk factor for enhanced oxidative stress in SCA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical & Toxicological Analysis of Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil.
authors.forename: Talyta Ellen de Jesus
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Dos Santos
authors.forename: Geane Félix
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: de Sousa
authors.forename: Maritza Cavalcante
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Barbosa
authors.forename: Romélia Pinheiro
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D019190:Iron Overload / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000097:blood; D009573:Nitrites / Q000097:blood; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D065227:Transfusion Reaction
chemical_list: D009573:Nitrites; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D005293:Ferritins