Oxidative stress markers in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Recent study data support the role of oxidative stress in diverse psychiatric disorders. Oxidative stress results from an oxidant/antioxidant imbalance, an excess of oxidants and/or a depletion of antioxidants. There are numerous studies that indicate that free radicals (FRs) damage neurons, and then play an important role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and depression. Active oxygen can cause considerable damage and disrupt the important physiological functions of proteins, lipids, enzymes and DNA. The aim of our study was to investigate the possible differences in the concentration of tromboxane B2, 8-OHdG and protein carbonyls, as significant markers of oxidative damage, and urate, albumin and total protein concentrations as antioxidative molecules in PTSD patients in comparison to the healthy control group. The study included 74 male participants who were active soldiers in the Croatian armed forces from 1991 to 1995. 46 subjects with chronic and current PTSD were recruited from the Department of Psychiatry of Dubrava University Hospital during 2010, 28 healthy subjects were recruited in the same period during the regular medical examination at the Dubrava University Hospital. Study results have shown that there is no statistically significant difference in urinary concentrations of 8-OHdG, serum thromboxane B2, and serum urates between two studied groups. Statistically significant difference of the protein carbonyl concentrations was examined. Concentrations were significantly lower in the PTSD group than in the control group. The clinical significance of these results was examined using ROC analysis. The obtained ROC curves did not separate the groups in a satisfactory manner.