The mechanisms by which inflammatory bowel disease causes chronic injury to the gastrointestinal tract are poorly understood. To determine whether antioxidant defenses might be altered, we evaluated plasma antioxidant concentrations in 24 children with inflammatory bowel disease (12 with Crohn disease and 12 with ulcerative colitis) and in 23 healthy control subjects. Anthropometric measurements and disease activity scores were obtained. The groups were of similar age and sex distribution; most children had quiescent or mild disease. The children with Crohn disease were malnourished compared with the ulcerative colitis and control groups. Children with inflammatory bowel disease had decreased plasma ascorbic acid and increased glutathione peroxidase, glutathione, and alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) concentrations compared with control subjects. These differences were found primarily in the children with Crohn disease. This study provides evidence that children with Crohn disease have alterations in circulating antioxidant defenses, possibly related to an ongoing oxidant stress.
Background:Dietary questionnaire studies have suggested that patients with oesophageal adenocarcinoma are deficient in antioxidants. It is not known whether the same holds true for patients with the precursor lesion, Barrett’s oesophagus.Aims:To evaluate the hypothesis that patients with Barrett’s oesophagus are deficient in antioxidants compared with patients without evidence of Barrett’s oesophagus.Patients and methods:Plasma antioxidant profiles (copper, selenium, zinc; vitamins A, C, and E; carotenoids) were determined for patients with Barrett’s oesophagus (n = 36), patients with erosive oesophagitis (n = 32), and patient controls (n = 35).Results:Patients with Barrett’s oesophagus had significantly lower plasma concentrations of selenium, vitamin C, β cryptoxanthine, and xanthophyll compared with the other groups.Conclusions:This study confirms the hypothesis that patients with Barrett’s oesophagus are deficient in certain antioxidants.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.