Respiratory distress syndrome occurs mostly in premature infants with high risk of oxidative stress, free radicals and other reactive species which are constantly generated in vivo and cause oxidative damage to DNA and lipid. Antioxidants delay or inhibit cellular damage mainly through their free radical scavenging property, some of it including vitamins C and E. The study was done on sixty preterm neonates with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), in addition to twenty apparently healthy full term neonates as normal controls to determine the serum levels of the oxidant lipid peroxide and the antioxidant vitamins E and C. The mean levels of serum lipid peroxide which is the end product of lipid peroxidation were found to be higher with variable degrees of significant differences. The raised serum levels of lipid peroxide in neonates with RDS may be due to activated macrophages releasing highly reactive radicals that may cause local disruption of essential structures, and we found that the mean ± standard deviation (SD) levels of serum vitamin C and E were lower with variable degrees of significant differences.
This study aimed to investigate the effect of zinc supplementation on testicular tissue as a feed-back mechanism of the pituitary secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) on cigarette smoker subjects. Total of twenty subjects participated in this study as per the national bioethics committee guidelines. Venous blood samples were collected for determination of serum level of LH and FSH before and after zinc supplementation. LH and FSH determination were done using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A t-test was used to compare the means of two groups, P value was considered significant if ≤ 0.05. Results showed that LH serum levels were elevated in smokers as compared to the control group (p 0.05). Similar observation was found in FSH levels (p>0.05). After one month of zinc supplementation, LH levels decreased in smokers group (after: 4.14 ± 2.38 mlU/ml, before: 7.43 ± 4.32 mlU/ml; p>0.05). FSH levels also decreased after zinc supplementation in smokers group (after: 1.50 ± 1.12 mlU/ml, before: 3.88 ± 1.57 mlU/ml; p>0.05). The improving effect of zinc supplementation on LH and FSH pituitary and testicular steroid secretions for smoker subjects is obviously observed. These findings can be implemented to contribute to the outcome of zinc treatment associated with smoking.
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