Oxidant/antioxidant status and immunoglobulin levels in patients with primary brain tumors before and after surgical intervention

ABSTRACT

To assess serum level of malondialehyde [MDA], total antioxidant status [TAS] as a representative of oxidative stress, with immunoglobulin levels [IgG, IgA, IgM] in patients with primary brain tumors at diagnosis and one month after surgical resection in comparison to healthy controls. The study was conducted in Iben-Seena Hospital in Mosul city Iraq. Thirty-seven patients with primary brain tumors were included in the study, later proved by histopathology to be cases of meningioma [24 cases] and glioma [13 cases]. Also included 32 apparently healthy, age and sex matched subjects as a control group. Initially, blood samples were taken from both the patients and controls and assessment of serum MDA, TAS and immunoglobulin levels [IgG, IgA, IgM] were done, later for the patients group one month after surgical resection of the tumor another blood samples were taken and assessment of the same parameters mentioned above were done again. Serum MDA was found to be significantly higher [p<0.001] and serum TAS was significantly lower [p<0.001] in patients with primary brain tumors [both meningioma and glioma] prior to surgical resection in comparison to controls. Postoperatively, there was a significant reduction [p<0.001] in serum MDA levels with an increase in TAS [which was slightly significant in gliomas and insignificant with meningiomas]. With regard to serum immunoglobulin levels, there was a significant increase in serum IgG [gliomas p<0.05; meningioma p<0.001] preoperatively compared with controls, with a significant reduction [p<0.001] in the serum levels of IgG, IgA and IgM postoperatively in comparison to preoperative values. Primary brain tumors [both meningioma and glioma] as a disease carry a substantial effects on oxidant/antioxidant status and on serum immunoglobulin levels as part of the humoral immunity so as the surgical removal of the tumor mass as a way of therapy