RESUMO
Hypertension is a multi-factorial process, prevalent in developed as well as in developing countries. Different antioxidants and free radicals play an important role in cardiovascular system. In present study, total antioxidant power in terms of FRAP (ferric reducing activity of plasma), free radicals and different antioxidants have been studied in essential hypertensives (n = 50) and normal subjects (n = 50). Levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipids-cholesterol, malonialdehyde, very low-density lipids (VLDL), uric acid, plasma homocysteine and low-density lipids (LDL), were significantly higher in hypertensives as compared to normotensive. HDL-cholesterol, SOD, GPx, reduced glutahione, total glutathione, oxidized glutathione, total thiols, protein thiols, non protein thiols, RNI, total antioxidant power, vitamin A, ascorbic acid and glutahione-S-transferase (GST) were decreased significantly in normotensive. We observed significantly low nitric oxide levels in hypertensive patients. No correlation was observed between severity of disease and plasma nitric oxide levels. There was a significant decrease in plasma FRAP value in essential hypertensives as compared to normotensive controls, which showed a negative correlation with diastolic blood pressure. In conclusion, our study revealed that there was a consistent significant difference between essential hypertensives versus controls with respect to most of the parameters. These complex changes are consistent in the view that essential hypertension is associated with an abnormal level of antioxidant status compared to normal response to oxidative stress or both.