Menopause, coronary artery disease and antioxidants

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of menopause on the activity of primary intracellular antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) as well as on the level of total antioxidant status (TAS) in healthy women and women with coronary artery disease (CAD). We studied 140 women divided into two groups. The first group (controls) consisted of 99 healthy women aged between 18 and 55 years) classified into three subgroups: pre-menopausal women (Pre-M; n=48), peri-menopausal women (Peri-M; n=22) and post-menopausal women (Post-M; n=29). The second group consisted of 41 women with CAD aged between 48-68 years, classified into two subgroups: Peri-M (n=20) and Post-M (n=21). The activity of GPx and the level of TAS were significantly decreased in Peri-M (p<0.005) and Post-M groups (p<0.001) in comparison with the Pre-M group. SOD was decreased in Peri-M and Post-M groups compared with the Pre-M group, but this was statistically not significant. The activity of SOD and GPx as well as TAS were significantly decreased in the Post-M group compared with the Peri-M group with CAD (p<0.001). The activity of the antioxidant enzymes in Peri-M and Post-M groups was significantly decreased (p<0.02) in comparison with the control group. TAS was not changed in women with CAD in comparison with controls. In conclusion, menopause leads to the reduction of the level of antioxidants, especially in women with CAD.