New Understanding of the Nature and Causes of Major Depression
Scott Mendelson in Herbal Treatment of Major Depression, 2019
Increases in oxidative and nitrosative stress are seen in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Sufferers of MDD tend to have depleted stores of antioxidants, including zinc, coenzyme Q10, vitamin E, and glutathione. Some of the increases in oxidative and nitrosative stress in MDD may result from genetic predisposition. For example, associations have been made between depression and certain polymorphisms in genes affecting the enzymatic activities of manganese superoxide dismutase and catalase. The increase in oxidative stress in MDD is due to an increase in production of reactive oxidative species (ROS) as well as deficits in the neutralization of ROS. In humans with MDD, increased levels of cortisol stimulate activity of mitochondria, which increases production of ROS. Suspicions that inflammation might be involved in MDD arose from seeing similarities between the illness and what is referred to as “sickness behavior.” A variety of medications that reduce insulin-resistance have been found to improve treatment-resistant MDD.
The skin’s endogenous antioxidant network
Roger L. McMullen in Antioxidants and the Skin, 2018
The epidermal antioxidant network consists of a complex defense system against oxidative stress in which the function of one antioxidant often supplements or regenerates another antioxidant. These important antioxidants consist of detoxication enzymes and small molecule antioxidants, which can be further characterized as water-soluble and lipid-soluble antioxidants. The important component of the endogenous antioxidant system is the Thioredoxin System (Trx). It consists of two protein structures, Trx and Trx reductase (TrxR), which works in concert, resulting in antioxidant activities as well as the influence of other cellular functions. The endogenous enzymatic antioxidants in skin consist of superoxide dismutases (SODs), catalase, glutathione (GSH) peroxidase, NAD(P)H:Quinone reductase, and the Trx system, which catalyze the breakdown or consumption of compounds capable of initiating oxidation reactions. The antioxidant role of melanin, which is the primary pigment in skin and hair, is also of paramount importance in terms of its free radical-scavenging capabilities and its role in the endogenous antioxidant network.
Vitamin B-2 (Riboflavin)
Howerde E. Sauberlich in Laboratory Tests for the Assessment of Nutritional Status, 2018
Vitamin B-2 (Riboflavin) is a component of flavin mononucleotide and flavin adenine dinucleotide. The clinical manifestations of a riboflavin deficiency include cheilosis, glossitis, seborrheic dermatitis, corneal vascularization, photophobia, visual impairment, burning of the eyes, and pruritus. Clinical signs of a riboflavin deficiency and dietary intake of the vitamin have been shown to correlate with urinary riboflavin levels in controlled adult human studies. During pregnancy, urinary excretion of riboflavin has been reported to increase during the second trimester and fall during the third trimester. Red blood cell riboflavin is not a very sensitive index of riboflavin status due to the small magnitude of change noted with large variations in dietary riboflavin intake. Riboflavin nutritional status has been assessed through measurements of erythrocyte glutathione reductase activity coefficient, erythrocyte riboflavin concentrations, and urinary riboflavin excretion. Erythrocyte glutathione reductase is a flavoprotein which is sensitive to the riboflavin status of the subject.
Glutathione levels in human tumors
Published in Biomarkers, 2012
Michael P. Gamcsik, Mohit S. Kasibhatla, Stephanie D. Teeter, O. Michael Colvin
This review summarizes clinical studies in which glutathione was measured in tumor tissue from patients with brain, breast, gastrointestinal, gynecological, head and neck and lung cancer. Glutathione tends to be elevated in breast, ovarian, head and neck, and lung cancer and lower in brain and liver tumors compared to disease-free tissue. Cervical, colorectal, gastric, and esophageal cancers show both higher and lower levels of tumor glutathione. Some studies show an inverse relationship between patient survival and tumor glutathione. Based on this survey, we recommend approaches that may improve the clinical value of glutathione as a biomarker.
Elevated Glutathione Peroxidase in Newly Diagnosed Hypertension: Its Relation to Insulin Resistance
Published in Clinical and Experimental Hypertension, 2013
Nambiar Selvaraj, Viswanathan Sathiyapriya, Zachariah Bobby, Hanumanthappa Nandeesha, Agrawal Aparna
Several studies have reported that insulin resistance and compensatory hyperinsulinemia often coexist with hypertension. Increased activity of glutathione peroxidase has been reported in patients with essential hypertension. Recently, overexpression of glutathione peroxidase has also been linked to the etiology of insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to determine the possible relation between the activity of glutathione peroxidase and insulin resistance status in essential hypertensive patients. A case–control study was performed on 35 hypertensive patients and 30 control subjects. The levels of insulin and insulin resistance as measured by the homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) and glutathione peroxidase were significantly increased in hypertensive patients compared with control subjects. In this study, a direct association was observed between glutathione peroxidase with HOMA-IR and insulin levels in essential hypertensive subjects. In conclusion, our results suggest that increased glutathione peroxidase can be one of the detrimental factors in contributing to insulin resistance in essential hypertensive subjects.
Blood reflects tissue oxidative stress: a systematic review
Published in Biomarkers, 2015
Nikos V. Margaritelis, Aristidis S. Veskoukis, Vassilis Paschalis, Ioannis S. Vrabas, Konstantina Dipla, Andreas Zafeiridis, Antonios Kyparos, Michalis G. Nikolaidis
We examined whether the levels of oxidative stress biomarkers measured in blood reflect the tissue redox status. Data from studies that measured redox biomarkers in blood, heart, liver, kidney and skeletal muscle were analyzed. In seven out of nine investigated redox biomarkers (malondialdehyde, reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, vitamin C and E) there was generally good qualitative and quantitative agreement between the blood and tissues. In contrast, oxidized glutathione and the reduced to oxidized glutathione ratio showed poor agreement between the blood and tissues. This study suggests that most redox biomarkers measured in blood adequately reflect tissue redox status.
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