Regulation of oxidative stress in patients with Kawasaki disease

Although there is ample evidence that Kawasaki disease (KD) is associated with vascular inflammation, few studies have addressed the influence of oxidative stress. The goal of this study was to determine whether oxidative stress contributes to inflammation during KD, and also whether corticosteroid therapy can reduce oxidative stress. Serum reduced glutathione (sGSH) and serum thioredoxin (sTRX) were measured during KD to evaluate the phase-dependent change in the redox state in KD. Additionally, the efficacy of the therapies to reduce oxidative stress was assessed. The sGSH level significantly decreased post-intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). The sGSH level significantly increased during the convalescent phase. The sTRX level was significantly lower during the convalescent phase than that during the pre- and the post-IVIG. There was no difference in the sGSH and sTRX changes between the IVIG therapy and the IVIG + prednisolone (PSL) therapy, except for the convalescent phase in sTRX. Systemic inflammation in KD induces changes in the redox state, whereas the IVIG + PSL therapy did not show any remarkable change on oxidative stress in comparison to the IVIG therapy. Therapeutic intervention against oxidative stress might therefore be beneficial as adjunctive therapies for KD.