The Status of Antioxidants and Oxidative Damage in Patients with COVID-19

Purpose: COVID-19 is a viral disease that has recently caused a pandemic and significantly affects human health. In this study, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione, total thiol, natural thiol, disulfide, oxidative DNA damage and malondialdehyde levels in COVID-19 were investigated. Materials and Methods: Thirty-five patients and 35 healthy volunteers were included in this study. The diagnosis of COVID-19 was made by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Serum glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, natural thiol, total thiol and disulphide levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and malondialdehyde and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine/10⁶ deoxyguanosine levels by high-pressure liquid chromatography measured. Results: While serum superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, malondialdehyde, 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine/10⁶ deoxyguanosine, disulfide levels were higher in the COVID-19 patient group than in the healthy control group, glutathione, total thiol, natural thiol levels were lower. In addition, there was a negative correlation between 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine/10⁶ deoxyguanosine and glutathione, natural thiol and total thiol, and a positive correlation with disulfide. Conclusion: This study revealed that serum superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, malondialdehyde, 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine/10⁶ deoxyguanosine, and disulfide levels increased and glutathione, thiol and natural thiol levels decreased in COVID-19 patients. These results revealed that there was a decrease in antioxidant marker levels and an increase in oxidative stress markers in COVID-19 patients.