Role of free Radicals

Organ Transplantation

Many pathological conditions have become associated with chronic renal failure, including accelerated aging, cataract formation, atheroscelerosis and platelet dysfunction. Renal patients undergo regular dialysis, which has been shown to remove many small antioxidant molecules from the blood. This results in reduced protection against free radical attack, enabling increased peroxidation of cellular components. High levels of malondialdehyde have been discovered in the red blood cells of dialysis patients, indicating increased lipid peroxidation. Some researchers have described a reduction in alpha-tocopherol levels in the red blood cells of patients undergoing dialysis. In response to excessive release of ROS in renal failure increase rapidly level of SOD in red blood cells. Normal activity of SOD is copper- and zinc-dependent. Therefore, deficiencies in these elements after dialysis reduced activity of SOD in red blood cells. Next parallel to decrease in SOD activity was observed the significantly lower level of glutathione peroxidase in renal dialysis patients in comparison with normal subjects, due to the deficiency in trace elements. Glutathione peroxidase plays an essential role in the prevention of lipid peroxidation. This is thought to be due to rapid consumption of the antioxidant component with elevated levels of ROS and increased lipid peroxidation.

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