Title:Sex Differences in Oxidative Stress Biomarkers
Volume: 15
Issue: 8
Author(s): Elvira Brunelli, Francesco Domanico, Daniele La Russa and Daniela Pellegrino
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Antioxidant capacity, gender differences, healthy subject, oxidative stress, predictive biomarkers, reactive oxygen
species.
Abstract: Although an increased oxidative stress has been associated with several pathologies, predictive value of circulating
oxidative stress biomarkers remains poorly understood. It has been demonstrated that several pathologies underestimated
in women, including cardiovascular diseases, develop differently by gender. In this study, conducted on 195
healthy volunteers, we assessed the putative gender difference in prooxidant and antioxidant status. Our results were successful
in demonstrating a significant difference in oxidative stress between sexes, whereas no difference was found in the
plasma antioxidant barrier efficiency. To assess whether this difference was due to hormonal status (i.e. estrogen levels),
female samples were divided into pre-menopausal and post-menopausal groups. No significant difference emerged for
both biomarkers. Despite the well-known antioxidant estrogen role, women in this study presented a higher oxidative
status than males. This suggests that there is a difference in the production and metabolic deactivation of reactive oxygen
metabolite.
