Antioxidant agents and physiological responses in adult epileptic patients treated with lamotrigine

The aim of our research was to evaluate some biochemical changes in blood during lamotrigine (LTG) monotherapy of adult patients with epilepsy, and to check possible associations between typical selenium status parameters and the frequency of seizures.

The study was performed by examining aspartate aminotransferase (AspAT), alanine aminotransferase (AlaAT), creatinine, ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP), serum uric acid (UA), uric-acid-independent FRAP (UAiFRAP), plasma glutathione peroxidase (GPX3), selenoprotein P (SelP), plasma superoxide dismutase (pSOD), 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in serum and urine, serum selenium (sSe) and zinc (sZn), in 22 adult patients with epilepsy and 22 healthy controls. Additionally, the levels of LTG were determined in patients.

pSOD activity was higher in the study group (5.32±1.24 U/ml) compared with the controls (4.05±0.92 U/ml, p=0.008). No other statistical difference between patients and controls was found.

Lack of difference in parameters other than SOD, particularly no difference in 8-OHdG concentrations between the patients treated with LTG compared to the control subjects suggests that these patients are at no particular risk of oxidative DNA damage. In patients who are well or moderately well clinically controlled, selenium status parameters (sSe, GPX3, SelP) are not directly connected with the frequency of seizures.