JAPANESE HEART JOURNAL, cilt.38, sa.6, ss.793-798, 1997 (SCI-Expanded)
To obtain further insight into the role of erythrocyte antioxidant systems in the development of atherosclerosis, intraerythrocyte enzyme activities and selenium levels in erythrocytes were determined in 37 patients with angiographically proved coronary artery stenosis and 15 subjects with normal coronary angiograms as controls. In a preliminary study, the enzymatic activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), glutathione reductase (GR) and selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase (Se-GPx) were measured in both venous and arterial blood samples obtained from patients before angiography. The data of the preliminary study, which showed that only the Se-GPx decreased in the patients, led us to concentrate on the Se-GPx and Se levels to determine the changes in these variables. Our results showed that there was a decrease in both the activity of Se-GPx and Se levels in erythrocytes parallel to the increase in the severity of coronary artery disease. It was concluded that these parameters might be used as determinants in the assessment of the severity of the disease.