The Importance of Antioxidant Enzymes and Oxidative Stress in Human Fascioliasis

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the patients infected with Fasciola hepatica and establish whether these parameters differ among the patients with fascioliasis. Methods: The patient group consisted of 140 individuals with F. hepatica seropositive; the control group consisted of 140 healthy individuals who tested negative for this parasite and had no other diseases. The patient group consisted of individuals with no chronic diseases other than fascioliasis; in both the patient and the control groups, the subjects had no unhealthy habits such as smoking and alcohol consumption, etc. The blood samples taken to diagnose fascioliasis were evaluated by the ELISA method. The samples were studied according to the kit procedures for SOD, CAT, GPx and MDA markers. Results: In this study, 43.6% of 140 individuals in the patient group infected with F. hepatica had CAT (p=0.001), 35% had GPx (p=0.001), 12.9% had SOD (p=0.002), 90.7% had MDA (p=0.001). There was found a statistically significant difference between the patient and the control group in terms of the positivity of these four parameters. Conclusion: As a result, a statistically significant relationship was found between the increase in the SOD, GPx, CAT, and MDA levels and fascioliasis. The high rate of MDA revealed that oxidative stress occurred in patients with fascioliasis, resulting in an increased activity of SOD, GPx, and CAT.

Keywords

• superoxide dismutase
• glutathione peroxidase
• catalase
• malondialdehyde
• fascioliasis