Alterations in the oxidation products, antioxidant markers, antioxidant capacity and lipid patterns in plasma of patients affected by Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome.

Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome (PLS) is an uncommon disease. Less than 300 cases have been described. PLS is characterized by the association between palmar plantar hyperkeratosis (PPK) and severe precocious periodontitis that results in the premature loss of both the primary and secondary dentitions. It is known that periodontitis (PE), the destructive phase of periodontal disease, is a multifactor phenomenon involving a variety of molecular species, among them free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Antioxidants have been shown to play a critical role in modulating ROS-induced damages during PE. We wondered if patients belonging to a family group with different grades of PLS severity may present altered plasma concentrations of oxidation products as well as of lipophilic antioxidants, like Coenzyme Q or vitamin E, which are molecules that possess well-known antioxidant properties and could play a role in PE processes. We also wondered about the actual plasma total antioxidant capacity of these subjects as well as a complete identification of their plasma fatty acids features, which have been never investigated before. The results we obtained indicate an impairment in the antioxidant capacity of the subjects characterized by abnormally high hydroperoxide levels and, in some cases, by altered CoQ and vitamin E contents. Moreover, an essential fatty acid deficiency (EFAD) was registered on the basis of the peculiar plasma fatty acid patterns found (i.e. low PUFA, high MUFA and high delta-9 desaturase activity). This finding would support the hypothesisby Gutteridge and co-workers (Free Radic. Res. 1998, 28: 109-114) that conditions exist in which some forms of oxidative stress can lead to changes characteristic of EFAD.

The effect of Cyclosporine A chronic administration on the antioxidant pattern of rat liver mitochondria: structural and functional consequences.

Cyclosporine A (CsA) plays a pivotal role in controlling Ca2+ movement in the cell modulating also the mitochondrial permeability transition pore. We investigated if chronic administration of CsA may have some effects on the lipophilic and hydrophilic antioxidant pattern of rat liver mitochondria and on their morphological structure. It seems that CsA administration does not statistically affect the redox status of the antioxidants investigated and their amounts (vitamin E, CoQ9, CoQ10, glutathione, uric acid and ascorbic acid) despite the variety of effects that this treatment produces at physiological and morphological levels. However, some kind of derangement could occur in the liver biochemical machinery since CsA treatment induces a markedly increased variability in antioxidant contents.

Ageing and the Mediterranean diet: a review of the role of dietary fats.

Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the relationship between food and health. Concerns have been raised about dietary fats and their relative nutritional advantages or disadvantages. In investigations of the associations between health and fat intake, special emphasis has been placed on the benefits of virgin olive oil for counteracting certain neurodegenerative diseases and ageing. With respect to ageing, accumulating evidence indicates that an improvement in quality of life can be reached by modulation of the extrinsic factors that influence many ageing processes. Of the modifiable factors, nutrition appears to be one of the strongest elements known to influence the rate of ageing as well as the incidence of age-associated diseases such as atherosclerosis and neurodegenerative pathologies. This paper reviews the theory of ageing and the role of fatty acids in the mechanisms affecting its evolution. It also confirms that virgin olive oil, an essential component of the Mediterranean diet, provides large amounts of stable and not easily oxidizable fatty acids as well as remarkable quantities of powerful antioxidant molecules.