Serum superoxide dismutase and malondialdehyde levels in a group of Chinese patients with age-related macular degeneration.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity together with malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in a group of Chinese patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

METHODS

Serum SOD activity and MDA levels were analysed in 56 AMD patients with subtypes (early dry, geographic atrophy, and wet) and 34 healthy controls matched with age and sex.

RESULTS

Serum MDA levels were significantly higher in AMD (3.68 ± 1.06 nmol/mL) than in controls (2.83 ± 0.43 nmol/mL; p=0.000), and was significantly higher in wet AMD (3.79 ± 0.79 nmol/mL) than in early dry AMD (3.26 ± 0.99 nmol/mL; p=0.038). Serum SOD activity was significantly higher in AMD (87.12 ± 13.22 U/mL) than in controls (79.91 ± 11.80 U/mL; p=0.012), and slightly higher in wet AMD (89.52 ± 16.25 U/mL) than in GA (83.62 ± 9.75 U/mL; p=0.275) and early dry AMD (81.64 ± 18.90 U/mL; p=0.093). There was a positive correlation between serum MDA levels and SOD activities in AMD patients and controls (r=0.320, p=0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

The observed increase in SOD activity in our study may be related to increased MDA levels, as a compensatory regulation in response to oxidative stress in AMD patients. The present data also demonstrate that oxido-reduction disturbance may be hypothesized in the pathogenesis of AMD.