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Published on: January 27, 2019
Oxidative stress in sepsis in children
Sumina Cherian1, Shiji Jameson, Chitikineni Rajarajeswari
1Departments of Biochemistry, Kasturba Medical College & Hospital, Manipal 576104, India.
Insights
Children with sepsis show stable red blood cell antioxidants, suggesting an adaptive response to oxidative stress. However, plasma vitamin C levels decrease in older children, possibly due to its role in combating free radicals.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Sepsis Research
- Oxidative Stress Biomarkers
- Antioxidant Status in Children
Background:
- Sepsis in children can lead to significant oxidative damage.
- Limited data exists on antioxidant levels in pediatric sepsis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate blood antioxidant levels in children diagnosed with sepsis.
- To compare antioxidant status between septic children and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Assessed erythrocyte glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), and plasma vitamin C.
- Included 38 children (<5 years) with sepsis and 39 age/sex-matched controls.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in erythrocyte GSH, SOD, or TBARS between sepsis patients and controls.
- Plasma vitamin C was significantly lower in septic children aged 1 year 1 month to 5 years.
Conclusions:
- Children with sepsis may exhibit adaptive mechanisms against oxidative stress.
- Reduced plasma vitamin C in older septic children might relate to phagocytosis and free radical scavenging.
Background & Objective:
Information on oxidative damage during sepsis in children is not available, we undertook this study to assess the levels of certain antioxidants in blood of children with sepsis.
Methods:
Study group had 38 children with sepsis (<5 yr) and 39 age-and sex-matched controls admitted to a tertiary care hospital. Red cell glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) and plasma vitamin C were estimated by standard techniques.
Results:
There was no significant change in erythrocyte GSH, SOD and TBARS levels in sepsis when compared to controls. This may be due to the adaptive response of the body to combat the oxidative stress. However, plasma vitamin C levels were significantly reduced in patients aged one year one month to five years which may be due to active phagocytosis and due to its role as a free radical scavenger.
Interpretation & Conclusion:
Our findings show that children affected by sepsis probably adapt to the free radical toxicity induced by this condition. Further studies need to be done on a larger sample to confirm the findings.
