ABSTRACT
UNLABELLED: Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant, progressive neurodegenerative disorder, caused by an expanded trinucleotide CAG sequence of the huntingtin (Htt) gene, which encodes a stretch of glutamines in the Htt protein. The mechanisms of neurodegeneration associated with the accumulation of Htt aggregates still remains unclear. OBJECTIVES: To determine oxidative stress biomarkers in HD patients and their relationship with clinical, demographic and neuroimaging parameters. DESIGN AND METHODS: Fourteen patients and 39 controls paired by age and sex participated in this study. Oxidative damage was assayed in blood by measuring malondialdehyde (MDA) and advanced oxidative protein products (AOPPs). Antioxidant status was determined by activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), reduced glutathione (GSH), protein thiols and total antioxidant capacity (FRAP). The Unified Huntington Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) and neuroimaging studies were also employed. RESULTS: MDA, AOPP and GPx were significantly increased in HD patients with respect to the control group, while GR activity was decreased. FRAP correlated with age of disease onset, AOPP with motor severity (UHDRS score), age of patients and age of disease onset. Caudate atrophy was associated with lower plasma concentrations of GSH. CONCLUSIONS: These findings point to a redox imbalance in HD patients. GR activity could be a potential biomarker for symptom onset in asymptomatic gene carriers, while plasmatic GSH could be useful in monitoring the progression of neurodegeneration - as an expression of caudate atrophy - during the course of the disease.
Subject(s)
Huntington Disease/blood , Huntington Disease/diagnosis , Adult , Age Factors , Age of Onset , Aged , Antioxidants/metabolism , Biomarkers/blood , Case-Control Studies , Catalase/blood , Caudate Nucleus/metabolism , Caudate Nucleus/pathology , Female , Glutathione/blood , Glutathione Peroxidase/blood , Glutathione Reductase/blood , Glycation End Products, Advanced/blood , Humans , Huntington Disease/diagnostic imaging , Huntington Disease/pathology , Male , Malondialdehyde/blood , Middle Aged , Oxidation-Reduction , Oxidative Stress , Sulfhydryl Compounds/blood , Superoxide Dismutase/blood , Tomography, X-Ray ComputedABSTRACT
La distrofia muscular de Duchenne es una de las miopatías hereditarias más frecuentes que existe. Se caracteriza por la degeneración de las fibras musculares esqueléticas, que provocan la invalidez en la primera década de vida y, luego, la muerte por fallos respiratorios o cardíacos El gen responsable de la enfermedad se conoce como DMD y se localiza en el brazo corto del cromosoma X. Se presenta la historia de una familia en que, con un embarazo de 15 semanas, la hermana del enfermo solicita diagnóstico prenatal. Se realizó el estudio molecular indirecto con el marcador polimórfico STR- 50. Tras el análisis de los resultados obtenidos después de aplicada la metodología de laboratorio el feto resultó estar enfermo, y la familia optó por la interrupción del embarazo(AU)
The Duchenne muscular dystrophy is one of the most frequent hereditary myopathies that exist. It is characterized by degeneration of the muscle skeletal fibers which produce handicap in the first decade of life bringing about death due to cardiac or respiratory failure. The responsible gene of the disease is known as DMD and it is located in the X chromosome shorter arm. A family history is presented in which the pregnant woman who is the sick patients sister asks for a prenatal diagnosis. An indirect molecular study was performed with the STR-50 polymorphic marker. After the analysis of the results in which the lab methodology was applied, the fetus was found to be sick and the family decided to interrupt the pregnancy(AU)
Subject(s)
Humans , Female , Pregnancy , Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne/diagnosis , Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne/genetics , Prenatal Diagnosis/methods , Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne/bloodABSTRACT
La distrofia muscular tipo Duchenne es la más común y grave de las distrofias musculares, que afecta a uno de cada 3,500 varones nacidos vivos. La alta frecuencia con que han sido reportadas alteraciones en el electrorretinograma (ERG) en pacientes con distrofia muscular de Duchenne (DMD), demuestra una posible relación entre la actividad eléctrica de la retina y las mutaciones presentes en el gen DMD que codifica para la proteína distrofina, responsable del fenotipo DMD. La mutación más común del gen DMD son las deleciones del 70 % de los pacientes, y se presentan con una gran heterogeneidad al igual que el ERG, por lo que nos propusimos comparar estas variables para conocer si están o no relacionadas. Se estudiaron 22 pacientes con manifestaciones clínicas de DMD desde el punto de vista molecular y electrorretinográfico para lo cual se utilizó las técnicas de reacción en cadena de la polimerasa para chequear 18 regiones del gen, y el registro electrorretinográfico mesópico. El 69 % de los casos presentaron deleciones, las cuales varían en extensión y ubicación de las cuales el 80 % se encontraba en el extremo 3' del gen. Predominó el ERG de tipo negativo con marcada disminución de la onda B y A en límite inferior normal o también disminuida, con relación b/a menor de uno. Este tipo de ERG, estuvo relacionado con la presencia de deleción (p= 0,027) y su ubicación en el extremo 3' del gen (p= 0,03), con un nivel de significación de 0,05, por lo que se recomienda el estudio electrorretinográfico como un elemento para reforzar el diagnóstico y sospechar el sitio de la deleción.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common and serious of all muscular distropies affecting one in 3 500 males born live. The high frequency of reported alterations in electroretinographies of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) proves that there is a possible relationship between the electrical activity of retina and the DMD gen mutations, a gen which codes for dystrophin protein responsible for DMD phenotype. The most common DMD gen mutation is deletions in 70 % of patients and they occured with a high heterogeneity as it happens in electro retinography; so we intended to compare these variables to find out whether thy are related. 22 patients with DMD clinical manifestations were studied from the molecular and electroretinographic viewpoints. Polymerase chain reaction technique was used to check 18 gen regions and the mesopic electroretinographic recording. 69 % of cases had deletions which varied in extension and location; 80 % of deletions was found in gen 3' extreme. ERG of negative type with marked reduction of B and A waves in normal lower limit or also decreased were predominant; b/a relation was under 1. This type of ERP was related to deletion (p=0,027) and its location in gen 3' extreme (p=0,03). The level of significance was 0,05, so we recommend the electroretinographic study as a way of strenghtening diagnosis and detecting the suspected deletion locus.
