Thiol-disulfide homeostasis in children with febrile neutropenia

Abstract

Aim: The body’s antioxidant system processes rely on thiol-disulfide equilibrium to function correctly. The purpose of this study was to look into dynamic thiol/disulfide homeostasis (TDH) as an endogenous antioxidant indicator in febrile neutropenic (FN) children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Materials and methods: The study included 66 acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients, including 33 with FN and 33 controls. Both groups were compared for TDH and ischemia-modified albumin (IMA). TDH parameters were assessed using a unique spectrophotometric approach disclosed earlier by Neşelioğlu and Erel. Results: Total thiol, native thiol, disulfide, and native thiol/total thiol levels were significantly lower in patients with FN than in the controls (p< 0.05). Disulfide/total thiol, disulfide/native thiol, and IMA levels were significantly higher in the FN group than in controls (p<0.05). Conclusions: TDH could be a simple tool that could be used in routine screening as an indicator of thiol-specific oxidative stress, particularly in pediatric febrile neutropenia. Keywords: Thiol/disulfide homeostasis, oxidative stress, febrile neutropenia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia