Elevated lipid peroxidation biomarkers and low antioxidant status in atherosclerotic patients with increased carotid and iliofemoral intima-media thickness

Objectives: Lipid peroxidation plays an important role in the development of atherosclerosis, a chronic, age-related disease process of the arterial wall with onset decades prior to its clinical manifestations. The aim of the study was to assess the association between the intima media thickness (IMT) of the major arteries as a clinical marker of atherosclerosis and markers of lipid peroxidation along with the antioxidant status in humans. Design: Case-control study. Setting: A university-affiliated outpatient clinic. Subjects: Thirty patients (22 males, 8 females; 70.4 +/- 7.3 years) with atherosclerosis of the carotid or iliofemoral arteries and 62 healthy controls (30 males, 32 females; 68.3 +/- 4.3 years). Methods: Plasma levels of 8,12-isoprostane F2alpha-VI (8,12-IPF2alpha-VI) were measured by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, whereas levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), vitamins A (retinol) and E (alpha- and gamma-tocopherol), and carotenoids were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. The IMT was measured by B-mode ultrasonography. Results: Patients showed, independent of fruit and vegetable intake, significantly lower plasma levels of retinol, alpha-tocopherol, and all carotenoids excluding beta-cryptoxanthin compared with controls. On the contrary, plasma 8,12-IPF2alpha-VI levels were almost doubled (p < .001) and MDA levels increased by one-third (p < .01) in atherosclerotic patients compared with controls. Conclusions: The analyses of isoprostanes and antioxidant nutrients in plasma as markers of oxidative stress and the parallel evaluation of IMT as a structural marker of atherosclerosis are suitable tools for investigating the role of antioxidants and oxidative stress in atherosclerosis.