Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-11T13:54:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Camila Fabbri.pdf: 1702364 bytes, checksum: aad2c6cd689b654fb570e596447becf9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-01-19 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The human malaria is an infectious disease, febrile, acute or chronic, caused by protozoa transmitted by vectors, being the disease more widely distributed in the world and one of the most prevalent parasitic diseases today. About 300 to 500 million cases occur annually and about 1 to 2 million people - mostly children - die from malaria. In the state of Amazonas, between january 2007 and march 2009, 22,081 cases of malaria were diagnosed and reported, with the largest record (14,249) in 2007. Although Plasmodium vivax malaria is considered a benign form of the disease with a low mortality rate in relation to Plasmodium falciparum, it can cause a serious disease where complications such as jaundice, severe anemia, renal failure and pulmonary complications are described. Oxidative stress occurs when there is an imbalance in the concentration of oxidants, free radicals, and antioxidants, such as enzymes, vitamins C and E, β-carotene. During the malaria disease, oxidative stress may be developed by two mechanisms: by the parasite, when it is to reproduce, generates reactive species and the host immune system, which makes use of these reactive species to try to combat the parasite. In order to study oxidative stress in patients with severe vivax malaria who developed jaundice in the course of the disease in plasma and erythrocytes, and also to check the influence of this high concentration of bilirubin in oxidative stress, the following groups of patients was studied: non-severe malaria , severe malaria presenting jaundice, concurrent malaria and dengue, healthy patients with no history of malaria (control group) and one patient with deficiency in the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase which contracted malaria. In all patients were measured the levels of antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation marker malondialdehyde on day zero (when diagnosed with malaria) and on day fourteen (free of symptoms and parasitemia). The levels of malondialdehyde and the enzymes celuroplasmin, lactate dehydrogenase and glutathione reductase were increased (p <0.02) in plasma of patients with severe malaria compared with the control group, unlike the enzymes catalase, superoxide dismutase and thioredoxin reductase where levels were decreased (p <0.03) compared to the control group. The levels of glutathione reductase and malondialdehyde marker also showed significantly higher levels in severe malaria groups when compared with non-severe malaria group. The correlation between glutathione reductase and total bilirubin was significant (p < 0.0001) in all patients of each group. Patients who developed malaria and dengue fever showed levels of oxidative stress similar to patients with severe malaria. With all these results, we conclude the patients with severe vivax malaria who developed jaundice had a higher oxidative stress than the patients who contracted the disease in milder form. Thus, these high concentrations of bilirubin may develop the role of signaling to oxidation in patients with malaria / A malária humana é uma doença infecciosa, febril, aguda ou crônica, causada por protozoários transmitidos por vetores, sendo a doença mais amplamente distribuída no mundo e uma das doenças parasitárias mais prevalentes da atualidade. Cerca de 300 a 500 milhões de casos ocorrem anualmente e cerca de 1 a 2 milhões de pessoas - na maioria crianças - morrem de malária. No estado do Amazonas, entre janeiro de 2007 a março de 2009, foram diagnosticados e notificados 22.081 casos de malária, com maior registro (14.249) em 2007. Embora a malária por Plasmodium vivax seja considerada a forma benigna da doença, com uma taxa de letalidade baixa em relação ao Plasmodium falciparum, ela pode causar uma doença grave, onde complicações como icterícia, anemia grave, insuficiência renal e complicações pulmonares são descritas. O estresse oxidativo ocorre quando há um desequilíbrio na concentração de substâncias oxidantes, os radicais livres, e antioxidantes, como enzimas, vitaminas C e E, β-caroteno. Na malária, o estresse oxidativo pode ser desenvolvido por dois mecanismos: através do parasita quando este ao se reproduzir gera espécies reativas e o sistema imunológico do hospedeiro, que lança mão dessas espécies reativas para tentar combater o parasita. Com o intuito de estudar o estresse oxidativo em pacientes com malária vivax grave que desenvolveram icterícia ao decorrer doença no plasma e eritrócitos, além de verificar a influência desta alta concentração de bilirrubina no estresse oxidativo, os seguintes grupos de pacientes foram estudados: malária não grave, malária grave apresentando icterícia, malária e co-infeccão com dengue, pacientes saudáveis sem histórico de malária (grupo controle) e um paciente portador da deficiência na enzima glicose-6-fosfato desidrogenase que contraiu malária. Em todos os pacientes foram mensurados os níveis de enzimas antioxidantes e o marcador de lipoperoxidação malondialdeído no dia zero (quando diagnosticado com malária) e no dia quatorze (livre de sintomas e parasitemia). Os níveis de malondialdeído e das enzimas celuroplasmina, lactato desidrogenase e glutationa redutase estavam aumentados (p < 0,02) no plasma de pacientes com malária grave em comparação ao grupo controle, diferentemente das enzimas catalase, superóxido dismutase e tioredoxina redutase onde os níveis estavam diminuídos (p < 0,03) em comparação ao grupo controle. Os níveis da enzima glutationa redutase e do marcador malondialdeído também mostraram níveis significativamente mais elevados no grupos malária grave quando comparado com o grupo malária não grave. A correlação entre os níveis de bilirrubina e glutationa redutase foi significativa (p < 0.0001) em todos os pacientes de cada grupo. Pacientes que desenvolveram malária e dengue apresentaram níveis de estresse oxidativo semelhante aos pacientes com malária grave. Com todos estes resultados, podemos concluir que os pacientes com malária vivax grave que desenvolveram icterícia apresentaram um maior estresse oxidativo do que os pacientes que contrairam a doença na forma mais branda. Dessa forma, estas altas concentrações de bilirrubina podem estar desempenhando a função de sinalizadoras do processo oxidativo em pacientes com malária

Oxidative processes play important role in cell physiology and pathology as well. Balance of these processes is supplied by cooperating antioxidative systems; function of antioxidant defense systems depens on high levels of antioxidants in organism. Presented work is focused on developement and optimization of methods for analysis of important enzyme and non-enzyme antioxidants as well as total antioxidant capacity of selected types of biological material. Extractions and analyses of vitamin E, carotenoids, superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase and lipoxygenase in barley and malt were optimized. RP-HPLC and HPLC/ESI-MS were used for analysis of vitamin E, phenolic and carotenoid content, spectrophotometry was used for enzymes activity analysis. A new methods for catalase and lipoxygenase activities were developed and compared with direct UV methods. Superoxide dismutase activity was determined by commercial diagnostic kit. A colorimetric method was used for peroxidase activity determination. Some kinetic parameters of enzymes were provided too. Optimized methods were used in the analyses of antioxidants in plant material - in barley and malt - in sets of samples of 6 varieties cultivated in four different locations for two years. Content of individual antioxidants differed depending on the variety, but usually were not found significant differences in the levels, depending on growing location. Perhaps climatic conditions have the greatest influence on levels of low molecular weight and enzymatic antioxidants at the specific location; oxidation processes are influenced both the quantity of moisture, both by sunlight, which induces oxidative processes in cultivated plants. The activity of antioxidants in barley caryopses is rapidly increasing during the malting process; an elevated temperature and moistness first induces activation the enzyme systems including antioxidant. In caryopsis is metabolic activity increased during which we can expect an increased production of radicals; for this purpose can antioxidant systems be activated that protect cells from damage by oxidative stress. In the second part of work optimized methods were applied in two clinical trials focused on study of the influence of exogenous antioxidants intake on metabolic and antioxidant status in human organism. In the first clinical study influence of food supplement containing polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E on metabolism of hyperlipidaemics was evaluated. After 3-month supplemenation a lipid profile was improved and serum antioxidant levels increased. The second experiment was focused on enzyme and non-enzyme antioxidant levels in healthy subjects after temporarily intake of specific foods rich in antioxidants. After two-month intake plasma phenolic substances were slightly increased. Total antioxidant capacity and activities of enzyme antioxidants were not affected. Results of both clinical exeriments showed that supplying of antioxidants in natural form or in the form of food supplements does not markedly affect metabolism of healthy subjects, while in patients with chronic diseases antioxidant supplementation can positively influence metabolic status. Results of this work showed that optimized methods are suitable for analyses of antioxidant status parameters and also for monitoring of exogenous antioxidant intake.