HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Permissions Request Permissions Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (9) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Schmidt, R. Articles by Günther, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Schmidt, R. Articles by Günther, A.

Alveolar antioxidant status in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome

Dept of Internal Medicine, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany

CORRESPONDENCE: R. Schmidt, Dept of Internal Medicine, Justus-Liebig-University, Friedrichstrasse 24, D-35392 Giessen, Germany. Fax: 49 6419942429. E-mail: reinhold.schmidt@innere.med.uni-giessen.de

Keywords: Acute lung injury, antioxidants, bronchoalveolar lavage, oxidative stress

Received: October 28, 2003
Accepted August 16, 2004

This study was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SCHM 1524/2-1), Bonn, Germany.

In the acutely inflamed lung, oxidant stress occurs within the alveolar compartment. Under these conditions, the regulation of low molecular weight antioxidants in the epithelial lining fluid is poorly understood. Therefore, antioxidant levels were measured in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS; n=40) and in healthy volunteers (n=20).

Reduced glutathione (GSH), oxidised glutathione (GSSG; enzymatic assay), retinol (vitamin A), -tocopherol (vitamin E), ascorbic acid (vitamin C), uric acid (all by HPLC), plasmalogens (1-alkenyl-2-acyl phospholipids), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA; both by gas–liquid chromatography), and F₂-isoprostanes (ELISA) were quantified. All values are expressed as concentrations in cell-depleted BALF.

GSSG (ARDS: 0.13±0.02 µM; control: 0.03±0.01 µM; mean±SEM) and F₂-isoprostanes (ARDS: 78±10 pM; control: 26±5 pM) were increased in ARDS, thus indicating oxidant stress. GSH levels in patients did not change significantly, whereas concentrations of vitamins A and C, vitamin E (ARDS: 77±15 nM; control: 26±3 nM) and uric acid (ARDS: 11.8±2.2 µM; control: 0.7±0.0 µM) were significantly elevated in ARDS. PUFA of total lipids, which may act as sacrificial antioxidants, increased by a factor of 3 in patients, but plasmalogens showed a significant decrease.

In conclusion, low molecular weight antioxidants are elevated in the alveolar compartment of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Further research is warranted to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying this finding.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. A. Wanderer Corticosteroid Resistance in Pulmonary Neutrophilic Inflammatory Disorders and Rationale for Adjunct IL-1{beta} Targeted Therapy Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol., August 1, 2009; 41(2): 246 - 247. [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Zambon and J.-L. Vincent Mortality Rates for Patients With Acute Lung Injury/ARDS Have Decreased Over Time Chest, May 1, 2008; 133(5): 1120 - 1127. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]