Comparisons of Oxidative Stress during Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy and Open Cholecystectomy

PURPOSE: During oxidative stress, the levels of oxygen free radical increase dramatically, which plays a role in apoptosis, aging and is chemic injury, but also leads to positive effects such as induction of host defense genes and mobilization of ion transport systems. It has been suggested that the advantages of laparoscopic surgery are closely related to the reduced oxidative stress that occurs during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) when compared to open cholecystectomy (OC). This study was conducted to compare oxidative stress markers including total antioxidant status (TAS), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and gluthathione reductase (GR) between the LC group and OC group to determine if these surgical procedures result in different patterns of oxidative stress. METHODS: Our prospective study included fifty patients with symptomatic cholelithiasis and cholecystitis, of whom 25 underwent LC and 25 underwent OC. The plasma levels of oxidative stress markers (TAS, SOD, and GR) were measured preoperatively and on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd postoperative days. RESULTS: The postoperative hospitalization days differed significantly between the two groups (p0.05). An acceptable postoperative decrease in SOD was observed in the OC group, especially after the 2nd postoperative day (p0.05) upon analysis of covariance. A significant postoperative decrease in the level of SOD was observed in the OC group, especially after the 2nd postoperative day (p<0.01), and there was also a significant difference in the serial change in SOD between groups (p=0.020). The level of GR in the OC group decreased significantly on the 2nd postoperative day (p=0.022). Moreover, ANCOVA revealed a significant difference in the serial changes in thelevel of GR between the two groups (p=0.039). CONCLUSION: Our study compared oxidative stress between LC and OC groups based on the levels of TAS, SOD, and GR. We found that minimally invasive surgery, such as laparoscopic cholecystectomy, produced less oxidative stress than open surgery.

Changes in Lymphocyte DNA Damage and Antioxidant Status after Supplementing Propolis to Korean Smokers: A Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Cross-Over Trial

Smoking has been known to exacerbate the initiation and propagation of oxidative stresses. Efforts have been made to reduce the smoking-induced oxidative stresses using commercial dietary supplements. Propolis is the resinous substance collected by bees from the leaf buds and bark of trees, especially poplar and conifer trees. In this trial, we examined whether a daily supplementation of 800 mg propolis can protect endogenous lymphocytic DNA damage and modulate antioxidative enzyme activities and the level of antioxidant vitamin in smokers using a placebo-controlled, double-blinded cross-over trial. After two weeks of running-in period, 29 smokers (mean age 34.38 +/- 1.73) received 6 tablets/day of either propolis or placebo pills for 4 weeks. After 2 weeks of washout period the subjects switched they pills for cross-over study. The degree of DNA damage (assessed by tail DNA, tail length and tail moment) was not significantly changed with propolis intake or placebo intake. Similarly, total antioxidant status (TAS) remained at the same level regardless of the treatment. Erythrocyte catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD), plasma vitamin C and tocopherol level did not differ before and after propolis treatment, and did not differ between treatments. Putting all these results together, we would suggest that it is still too early to claim that propolis possess antioxidative activities.