Antioxidant Therapy in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Objective: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with oxidative stress. We aimed to evaluate the effect of antioxidant therapy on malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and nitric oxide (NO) levels, as well as on pulmonary functions and arterial blood gases in COPD. Design: Prospective clinical study. Subjects/Patients: Twenty stable COPD patients with no comorbidities. Methods: Pulmonary functions, arterial blood gases, MDA, SOD, GSH, TAC, and NO levels were measured at baseline. After 6 weeks of treatment with an antioxidant preparation consisting of vitamins A, C, E, zinc, copper, selenium, and manganese, the tests were repeated. Results: Five patients were excluded due to exacerbations and one due to anemia. In the remaining patients, MDA levels decreased, while SOD and TAC levels increased compared to baseline. No significant changes were observed in GSH and NO levels. Pulmonary function tests improved, whereas no significant differences were found in arterial blood gases. No significant correlations were observed between pulmonary function or arterial blood gases and the biomarkers (MDA, SOD, GSH, TAC, and NO). Conclusion: Adding antioxidants to the standard treatment for COPD may help restore the oxidant-antioxidant balance, which is disrupted in favor of oxidants in COPD.