Mol Aspects Med. 2004 Feb-Apr;25(1-2):117-23.  Links

Molecular bases of the treatment of Alzheimer's disease with antioxidants:
prevention of oxidative stress.

Vina J, Lloret A, Orti R, Alonso D.

Departments of Physiology, Preventive Medicine, and Neurology, Faculty of
Medicine, University of Valencia, Avda. Blasco Ibanez 17, E-46010 Valencia,
Spain.

Alzheimers's disease is associated with a systemic oxidative stress situation
which can be followed in vivo by determining biomarkers such as plasma
lipoperoxides and TBARS levels and the oxidation degree of glutathione in red
blood cells. It has been observed that Alzheimer's patients show an increased
level of plasma TBARS, which indicates a higher free radical oxidation of
plasma unsaturated phospholipids, and an increased oxidation of red blood cells
glutathione, which indicates oxidative stress in peripheral cells. This latter,
glutathione oxidation, was found to correlate statistically with the cognitive
status of the patients. Treatment with vitamin E resulted in an improved
cognitive performance only of those patients in which the tocopherol acted as
an antioxidant, according to blood indicative markers of oxidative stress.
Indeed, the effect of vitamin E on Alzheimer's disease patients showed
considerable variations both in its antioxidant function and in its capacity to
improve cognitive functions. An important conclusion from the reported results
is that epidemiological or clinical studies that aim to test the effect of
antioxidant supplementation on given functions should include the determination
of the antioxidant status of the patients by the measurement of blood markers
of oxidative stress.

PMID: 15051321 [PubMed - in process]

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