Prooxidant-antioxidant balance in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelination disorder of the central nervous system (CNS), which is believed to be associated with oxidative stress. Therefore, researchers try to find reliable biomarkers to monitor the disease and predict its prognosis. Cholesterol and lipids in the myelin sheath are vital for nerve cells. Serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is susceptible to lipid peroxidation induced by oxidative stress. This study aimed to evaluate oxidative stress markers in the serum of patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and examine their correlation with lipid markers.

A total of 18 MS patients (14 women and 4 men) and 18 healthy subjects (matched by age and sex) were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. The serum samples were collected in both relapsing and remitting phases. The prooxidant-antioxidant balance (PAB), malondialdehyde (MDA), and oxidized LDL (oxLDL) were measured as markers of oxidative stress.

The mean age of participants was 29.21 (22-42) years. In the comparison between the patient and control groups, the most differences were increased levels of PAB in the patient group (P < 0.05), no difference between relapsing and remitting phases (P = 0.995), increased MDA levels in the relapsing phase (P = 0.013)––but no change in the remitting phase (P = 0.068), no difference in LDL and oxLDL levels in the patient group (P > 0.05), and MDA, LDL, and oxLDL levels did not have any significant correlation with PAB (P > 0.05).

High levels of oxidative stress markers were present in both phases of the disease. Lipid peroxidation markers (such as MDA) increased in the acute phase, but oxLDL did not change. Also, there was no significant correlation between oxidative stress and cholesterol markers.