XXII. BIOCHEMICKÝ ZJAZD - Jesseniova lekárska fakulta

Lectures
BRONCHIAL ASTHMA AND EffECT OF OXIDATIVE STRESS ON ITS
DEVELOPMENT
Eva Babušíková 1 , Miloš Jeseňák 2 , Peter Bánovčin 2 and Dušan Dobrota 1
1
Department of Medical Biochemistry, 2 Institute of Children and Adolescents,
Comenius University in Bratislava, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin,
Martin, Slovakia
Bronchial asthma (BA) is associated with increased oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is
increasing due to the shift of the balance between pro-oxidant and antioxidant to side of
pro-oxidant. Bronchial asthma is a complex chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways
and as a complex disease is multifactorial, with many candidate genes suspected as being
important in its development. In our study we analyzed oxidative damage of proteins
and lipids and polymorphism of glutathione-S-transferase (GST: GSTT1, GSTM1) which
is a BA candidate gene due to its role in protection against oxidative stress. The total
content of sulfhydryl groups was decreased significantly (p < 0.001) in asthmatic patients
compared to healthy children. Concentrations of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances
were increased significantly (p < 0.001) in asthma patients. The GSTT1 and GSTM1 null
genotypes were more frequent (OR 1.63, respectively OR 1.18) among the asthmatic
patients. The null genotype for both representatives of glutathione-S-transferase family
represented higher risk for development of BA (OR 2.23) than present of one of them.
Asthmatic children with null genotypes had higher oxidative damage as well. These results
suggested that increased oxidative stress may play role in the asthma pathogenesis.
Oxidative stress and changed antioxidant defense are included in the asthma pathology
and therefore elimination of oxidative stress could be potentially an appropriate strategy
for treatment of bronchial asthma.
Acknowledgements: This work was supported by Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic
2007/47-UK-12.
64 XXII. Biochemistry Congress, Martin