ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study relationship between acute dipterex poisoning and oxidative stress and free radical damage.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighty-two patients with acute dipterex poisoning (ADPP) and ninety-two healthy adult volunteers (HAV) were enrolled in the study with randomized controlled trial design. Plasma levels of vitamin C (VC) and vitamin E (VE), as well as level of lipoperoxide (LPO) and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the red blood cells (RBC), were determined by spectrophotometry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Levels of VC and VE, and activities of SOD and AChE were (37.35 +/- 9.98) micromol/L, (16.57 +/- 4.54) micromol/L, (1 785 +/- 154) U/g Hb and (213.1 +/- 57.6) U/g Hb, respectively, in the ADPP group, significantly lower than those in the HAV group, (55.34 +/- 15.98) micromol/L, (25.66 +/- 7.24) micromol/L, (2 124 +/- 185) U/g Hb and (305.3 +/- 83.6) U/g Hb, respectively. Plasma level of LPO was (35.20 +/- 5.29) nmol/g Hb in the ADPP group, significantly higher than that in the HAV group, (27.87 +/- 4.66) nmol/g Hb. Partial correlation analysis suggested that there existed negative correlation between activity of AChE in the RBC and plasma level of LPO (r = -0.274, P = 0.013) and positive correlation between activity of AChE in the RBC and plasma levels of VC and VE, and activity of SOD in the RBC (r = 0.333, P = 0.002, r = 0.269, P = 0.015 and r = 0.248, P = 0.026, respectively) in the ADPP, adjusted for age. Coefficient of reliability alpha was 0.682 (P < 0.001), with a standardized alpha of 0.868 (P < 0.001).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>There exist severe oxidative stress and free radical damage in patients with acute dipterex poisoning.</p>