The aim of this study was to investigate lipid peroxidation as evidenced by thiobarbutric acid reactive substances (TBARS), ceruloplasmin (Ce), CD 4+ cells counts and antioxidant, and micronutrients status in HIV infection and AIDS patients. The level of plasma and erythrocyte TBARS, plasma ceruloplasmin was markedly increased in the AIDS patients when compared to HIV infection and healthy control subjects. We observed a significant reduction in CD 4+ cell count in HIV/AIDS patients when compared to control subjects. The activities of erythrocyte antioxidants superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and reduced glutathione (GSH), were significantly decreased in AIDS patients when compared with HIV infection and healthy subjects. Significantly low levels of plasma GSH, vitamin A (β-carotene), vitamin C, vitamin E, serum uric acid, albumin, selenium and zinc were also observed in AIDS patients when compared with HIV positive patients and control subjects. The study highlights the occurrence of lipid peroxidation and possible breakdown of antioxidant status in HIV/AIDS patients, which may subsequently increase the possibility of poor immunity. The antioxidant status was progressively depleted in HIV infected persons as the disease progressed from a symptomatic state to AIDS.

Summary: Oxidative stress has been proved in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus (DM) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) not only by the reactive oxygen species (ROS) but also due to non-enzymatic protein glycosylation, auto-oxidation of glucose, impaired glutathione metabolism, alteration in the antioxidants and advanced oxidative protein product formation. The current study was undertaken to establish the rela tionship between iron, copper and antioxidants like reduced glutathione (GSH), total thiols, and advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP) as well as total protein and albu min. The study group consisted of a total of 90 subjects which included non-diabetic healthy controls (n=30), diabetes mellitus patients (n=30), and diabetic retinopathy patients (n=30). All the parameters were measured using spectro photometric methods. AOPP levels showed a very highly signi ficant increase in DR patients and in DM patients compared to normal controls, the AOPP levels being higher in the DR compared to the DM patients (p= 0.001). The levels of thiols showed a very highly significant decrease in DR and DM as compared to normal subjects. The total proteins level showed a very highly significant decrease (P = 0.001) in DR and DM compared to normal. There was no change in the level of albumin. A significant increase in the levels of iron was observed in DR when compared to DM and control. The levels of copper in DR showed a very highly significant increase when compared to DM and controls (p = 0.001). Our study indicates a possible increase in the copper and iron-mediated generation of ROS thereby leading to increased consum ption of antioxidants in the body.Keywords: diabetic retinopathy, oxidative stress, protein oxidation, thiols Kratak sadr`aj: Prisustvo oksidativnog stresa u patogenezi dijabetesa (DM) i dijabetesne retinopatije (DR) do kazano je ne samo zahvaljuju}i prisustvu reaktivnih vrsta kiseonika (ROS) ve} i zbog neenzimske glikozilacije proteina, autooksidacije glukoze, poreme}enog metabolizma gluta tio na, promena u stvaranju antioksidanata i naprednih proizvo da oksidacije proteina. Ova studija sprovedena je kako bi se ustanovio odnos izme|u gvo`|a, bakra i antioksidanata kao {to je redukovani glutation (GSH), ukupnih tiola i naprednih proizvoda oksidacije proteina (AOPP) kao i ukupnih proteina i albumina. Ispitivanu grupu ~inilo je ukupno 90 subjekata, odnosno zdravih kontrola (n=30), pacijenata sa dijabetesom (n=30) i pacijenata sa dijabetesnom retino pa ti jom (n=30). Svi parametri izmereni su pomo}u spektro foto metrijskih metoda. Uo~en je veoma zna~ajan porast nivoa AOPP kod pacijenata sa DR i DM u odnosu na zdrave kon trolne subjekte, s tim {to su nivoi AOPP bili vi{i u DR nego u DM (p=0,001). U pore|enju sa zdravim ispita ni ci ma, nivoi tiola bili su veoma zna~ajno sni`eni u DR i DM. Nivo ukup nih proteina bio je veoma zna~ajno sni`en (p=0,001) u DR i DM u pore|enju sa kontrolnom grupom, dok u nivou albumina nije bilo prome na. Zna~ajan porast nivoa gvo`|a uo~en je u DR u pore|enju sa DM i kontrol nom...