title: Uric acid and Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase: potential strategies and biomarkers in functional recovery of post-acute ischemic stroke patients after intensive neurorehabilitation.
abstract: No evidence is currently provided on the involvement of uric acid (UA) and Cu/Zn Superoxide Dismutase (Cu/Zn SOD) in functional recovery of stroke patients after neurorehabilitation. For this purpose, the relationship between UA and Cu/Zn SOD plasma levels and clinical and functional outcome measures were analysed in twenty-five post-acute stroke patients undergoing intensive neurorehabilitation. UA and Cu/Zn SOD plasma levels were evaluated in fifteen healthy subjects as control values. Neurorehabilitation was associated with improved scores (P<0.05) of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), and the mPULSES profile. UA plasma levels were higher before neurorehabilitation, decreased after, but were still higher than control values. Conversely, Cu/Zn SOD plasma levels were lower than control values before neurorehabilitation and increased after, even though the absolute values were still lower than controls. An inverse correlation was found between variations of UA plasma levels observed before and after neurorehabilitation (Δ UA) and those of Cu/Zn SOD (Δ Cu/Zn SOD) (r= -0.386; P<0.001). No significant correlations were observed between ΔUA and the variations of the scores observed in all clinical outcome measures before and after neurorehabilitation (Δ scores of clinical outcome measures). Δ Cu/Zn SOD correlated positively with Δ NIHSS, Δ mRS and Δ mPULSES scores. Our data provide evidence of neurorehabilitation effectiveness on modulating UA and Cu/Zn SOD plasma levels and suggest that Cu/Zn SOD could assume the significance of biomarker of functional recovery, rather than UA that could be a marker of the magnitude of oxidative injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Edificio Delta 6, Piazzale Salvatore Tommasi,1 - 67100 Coppito 67100, L'Aquila - Italy. irene.ciancarelli@univaq.it.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ciancarelli
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Di Massimo
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: De Amicis
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pistarini
authors.forename: Maria Giuliana
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Tozzi Ciancarelli
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000097:blood / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020127:Recovery of Function; D020521:Stroke / Q000097:blood*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000097:blood*; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014527:Uric Acid; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase