Antioxidants (Apr 2023)

Circulating Nrf2, Glutathione, and Malondialdehyde Correlate with Disease Severity in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

  • Tomas Almeida-Becerril,
  • Maricela Rodríguez-Cruz,
  • Judith Villa-Morales,
  • Christian Ricardo Sánchez-Mendoza,
  • Jose Emilio Galeazzi-Aguilar

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12040871
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 4
p. 871

Abstract

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Oxidative stress (OS) plays an essential role in the pathophysiology of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). However, the actors that regulate OS need to be better studied. We aimed to evaluate whether NFE2-like bZIP transcription factor 2 (Nrf2), glutathione, malondialdehyde (MDA), and protein carbonyl concentrations change according to the disease severity in DMD patients. Moreover, we assessed whether OS correlated with muscle injury, clinical characteristics, physical activity, and antioxidant food consumption (AFC). A total of 28 DMD patients participated in this study. OS markers, metabolic indicators, and enzymatic markers of muscle injury were measured in circulation. Muscle injury was measured with clinical scales, and physical activity and AFC were evaluated with questionnaires. Nrf2 concentration was lower (p ≤ 0.01), and malondialdehyde concentration was higher (p rho = −0.387), Vignos scale (rho = −0.328), GMFCS scale (rho = −0.399), and Brooke scale scores (rho = −0.371) (p rho = 0.317) and Brooke scale scores (rho = 0.414) (p ≤ 0.05). In conclusion, DMD patients with the worst muscle function had more significant oxidative damage and lower antioxidant function than DMD patients with better muscle function.

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