[Metabolism of lipid peroxidation products in multiple sclerosis patients]

Concentration of dienic conjugates and malonic dialdehyde (metabolites of lipid peroxidation) were examined in the blood and the cerebrospinal liquor of patients suffering from disseminated sclerosis, CNS tumours complicated with neurological pathology, and osteochondrosis with the secondary radical syndrome at D4--D5 and D5--S1 levels. In patients with disseminated sclerosis no malonic dialdehyde was found in the cerebrospinal liquor, while its blood level exceeded normal 1.5 to 2 times. After hormonal therapy the situation was found to be reverse: malonic dialdehyde appeared in the cerebrospinal liquor, while its serum level dropped. This is, probably, due to a stabilization of the process and a fall of the concentrations of antioxidants in the liquor. An experiment with direct determination of the antioxidant activity in the liquor confirmed the hypothesis on migration of antioxidants from myelin to the liquor during process exacerbation. Since in cases of CNS tumours (contrary to disseminated sclerosis) malonic dialdehyde is regularly present in the cerebrospinal liquor, a test is suggested for diagnostic differentiation between atypic forms of disseminated sclerosis and CNS tumours.