Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Defenses: With Special Reference to Oral Lesions

Background: Oxidative stress is involved in the pathogenesis of various lifestyle-related diseases, including malignancies. The body naturally produces antioxidants as a means of defending itself against these free radicals which neutralize them, thereby rendering them harmless to other cells. There is a close relation between oxidative stress and all aspects of cancer, from carcinogenesis to the tumor-bearing state, from treatment to its prevention.

Aim: The present study was aimed to estimate the plasma levels of antioxidant enzymes and molecules in cases of oral lesion patients.

Study Design and Methodology: A case control study was designed in Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow campus. A total of fifty histopathologically proven oral lesion cases (leukoplakia, erythroplakia, lichen planus and oral submucous fibrosis patients) were taken for the study. Their blood samples were collected and plasma was subjected to evaluation of oxidative stress markers. Control group consisted of equal number of healthy subjects. The data is expressed as mean±SD. Student -t test was applied for significance of the biochemical parameters.

Results: The results have demonstrated that levels of catalase, myeloperoxidase, reduced glutathione glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase are decreased whereas those of malondialdehyde and nitric oxide have increased in the oral lesions patient group as compared to controls.

Conclusion: Oxidative stress has been shown to be an important indicator in case of oral cancer. Similar findings in pre-malignant oral lesions can be correlated in establishing the role of oxidative stress in initiation and conversion of premalignant lesions into malignant ones.