Measurement of ascorbate and dehydroascorbate contents in biological fluids

Dehydroascorbic acid quantification in human plasma: Simultaneous direct measurement of the ascorbic acid/dehydroascorbic acid couple by UPLC/MS-MS

Ascorbic acid (AA, vitamin C) and dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) constitute a biological couple. No technique can accurately, independently, and simultaneously quantify both members of the couple in animal and human samples, thereby constraining advances in physiology and pathophysiology. Here we describe a new UPLC/MS/MS method to measure both compounds directly and independently in human plasma. Lower limits of quantification were 16 nM, with linear coefficients >0.99 over a 100-fold concentration range. The method was stable and reproducible with <10 % injection-to-injection variation. Use of isotopic labeled internal standards for both compounds ensured precision and accuracy. Plasma preparation required only 2 steps. In plasma samples from 14 anonymized subjects who met criteria for blood donation, mean concentrations were 6±2 μmol/L (mean ± SD) and 56 ± 14 μmol/L for DHA and AA respectively, with (DHA)/(AA + DHA) ratio of 9.8 %. This method represents a pioneering approach to measuring the AA/DHA couple in human plasma.

Reaction Kinetics of Cyanide Binding to a Cobalt Schiff-Base Macrocycle Relevant to Its Mechanism of Antidotal Action

The Co(II/III)-containing macrocycle, cobalt 2,12-dimethyl-3,7,11,17-tetraazabicyclo-[11.3.1]-heptadeca-1(17)2,11,13,15-pentaenyl cation, or CoN₄[11.3.1], is a potential cyanide-scavenging agent. The rate of reduction of Co(III)N₄[11.3.1] by ascorbate is reasonably facile under pseudo-first-order conditions; a second-order rate constant of 11.7(±0.4) M^-1 s^-1 was determined at 25 °C and pH 7.4, along with the activation parameters for the reaction (ΔH^⧧ = 53.9(±0.8) kJ mol^-1; ΔS -79(±3) J mol^-1 K^-1). It follows that any cyanide-decorporating capability of the cobalt complex should depend more on the cyanide-binding characteristics of Co(II)N₄[11.3.1] than the oxidized form. The kinetics of the reaction of cyanide with Co(II)N₄[11.3.1] under anaerobic pseudo-first-order conditions is rapid and resulted in a linear dependence on the cyanide concentration, k_HCN = 8 × 10⁴ M^-1 s^-1, with a nonlinear intercept of 420 s^-1 at 10 °C, pH 7.6. The observed reaction rate increases significantly with increasing pH. A rate law is suggested, k_obs = k'[X] + (k_HCN + k_CNK_a/[H⁺])[HCN], where k_CN is estimated to be ∼2 × 10⁶ M^-1 s^-1. Activation parameters for the reaction with HCN (ΔH^⧧ = 10.7(±0.4) kJ mol^-1; ΔS^⧧ = -153(±1) J mol^-1 K^-1) suggest an associative mechanism. In the presence of excess oxygen, i.e., at higher levels than free oxygen in vivo, the reaction rate was too fast to be measured, and the final product was the oxidized complex, Co(III)N₄[11.3.1], where any cyanide ligands had been lost. This is much more rapid than the oxidation of the parent compound by oxygen, for which a second-order rate constant of 0.5(±0.02) M^-1 s^-1 at 25 °C was obtained. The study has gone some way toward enhancing our understanding of the reaction of Co(II)N₄[11.3.1] with cyanide. The fast reaction rate implies a high efficacy of the cyanide-scavenging capability of the complex and further supports the suggestion stemming from our previous work that Co(II)N₄[11.3.1] could prove to be a better and more cost-effective cyanide antidote than the FDA-approved hydroxocobalamin.

Appropriate Handling, Processing and Analysis of Blood Samples Is Essential to Avoid Oxidation of Vitamin C to Dehydroascorbic Acid

Vitamin C (ascorbate) is the major water-soluble antioxidant in plasma and its oxidation to dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) has been proposed as a marker of oxidative stress in vivo. However, controversy exists in the literature around the amount of DHA detected in blood samples collected from various patient cohorts. In this study, we report on DHA concentrations in a selection of different clinical cohorts (diabetes, pneumonia, cancer, and critically ill). All clinical samples were collected into EDTA anticoagulant tubes and processed at 4 °C prior to storage at −80 °C for subsequent analysis by HPLC with electrochemical detection. We also investigated the effects of different handling and processing conditions on short-term and long-term ascorbate and DHA stability in vitro and in whole blood and plasma samples. These conditions included metal chelation, anticoagulants (EDTA and heparin), and processing temperatures (ice, 4 °C and room temperature). Analysis of our clinical cohorts indicated very low to negligible DHA concentrations. Samples exhibiting haemolysis contained significantly higher concentrations of DHA. Metal chelation inhibited oxidation of vitamin C in vitro, confirming the involvement of contaminating metal ions. Although EDTA is an effective metal chelator, complexes with transition metal ions are still redox active, thus its use as an anticoagulant can facilitate metal ion-dependent oxidation of vitamin C in whole blood and plasma. Handling and processing blood samples on ice (or at 4 °C) delayed oxidation of vitamin C by a number of hours. A review of the literature regarding DHA concentrations in clinical cohorts highlighted the fact that studies using colourimetric or fluorometric assays reported significantly higher concentrations of DHA compared to those using HPLC with electrochemical detection. In conclusion, careful handling and processing of samples, combined with appropriate analysis, is crucial for accurate determination of ascorbate and DHA in clinical samples.

Relative Propensities of Cytochrome c Oxidase and Cobalt Corrins for Reaction with Cyanide and Oxygen: Implications for Amelioration of Cyanide Toxicity

In aqueous media at neutral pH, the binding of two cyanide molecules per cobinamide can be described by two formation constants, K_f1 = 1.1 (±0.6) × 10⁵ M^-1 and K_f2 = 8.5 (±0.1) × 10⁴ M^-1, or an overall cyanide binding constant of ∼1 × 10¹⁰ M^-2. In comparison, the cyanide binding constants for cobalamin and a fully oxidized form of cytochrome c oxidase, each binding a single cyanide anion, were found to be 7.9 (±0.5) × 10⁴ M^-1 and 1.6 (±0.2) × 10⁷ M^-1, respectively. An examination of the cyanide-binding properties of cobinamide at neutral pH by stopped-flow spectrophotometry revealed two kinetic phases, rapid and slow, with apparent second-order rate constants of 3.2 (±0.5) × 10³ M^-1 s^-1 and 45 (±1) M^-1 s^-1, respectively. Under the same conditions, cobalamin exhibited a single slow cyanide-binding kinetic phase with a second-order rate constant of 35 (±1) M^-1 s^-1. All three of these processes are significantly slower than the rate at which cyanide is bound by complex IV during enzyme turnover (>10⁶ M^-1 s^-1). Overall, it can be understood from these findings why cobinamide is a measurably better cyanide scavenger than cobalamin, but it is unclear how either cobalt corrin can be antidotal toward cyanide intoxication as neither compound, by itself, appears able to out-compete cytochrome c oxidase for available cyanide. Furthermore, it has also been possible to unequivocally show in head-to-head comparison assays that the enzyme does indeed have greater affinity for cyanide than both cobalamin and cobinamide. A plausible resolution of the paradox that both cobalamin and cobinamide clearly are antidotal toward cyanide intoxication, involving the endogenous auxiliary agent nitric oxide, is suggested. Additionally, the catalytic consumption of oxygen by the cobalt corrins is demonstrated and, in the case of cobinamide, the involvement of cytochrome c when present. Particularly in the case of cobinamide, these oxygen-dependent reactions could potentially lead to erroneous assessment of the ability of the cyanide scavenger to restore the activity of cyanide-inhibited cytochrome c oxidase.

Effect of Ascorbate on the Cyanide-Scavenging Capability of Cobalt(III) meso-Tetra(4-N-methylpyridyl)porphine Pentaiodide: Deactivation by Reduction?

The Co(III)-containing water-soluble metalloporphyrin cobalt(III) meso-tetra(4-N-methylpyridyl)porphine pentaiodide (Co(III)TMPyP) is a potential cyanide-scavenging agent. The rate of reduction of Co(III)TMPyP by ascorbate is facile enough that conversion to the Co(II)-containing Co(II)TMPyP should occur within minutes at prevailing in vivo levels of the reductant. It follows that any cyanide-decorporating capability of the metalloporphyrin should depend more on the cyanide-binding characteristics of Co(II)TMPyP than those of the administered form, Co(III)TMPyP. Addition of cyanide to buffered aqueous solutions of Co(II)TMPyP (pH 7.4, 25-37 °C) results in quite rapid (k2 = ∼10(3) M(-1) s(-1)) binding/substitution of cyanide anion in the two available axial positions with high affinity (K'β = 10(10) to 10(11)). Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopic measurements and cyclic voltammetry indicate that cyanide induces oxidation to the Co(III)-containing dicyano species. The constraints that these observations put on plausible mechanisms for the reaction of Co(II)TMPyP with cyanide are discussed. Experiments in which Co(III)TMPyP and cyanide were added to freshly drawn mouse blood showed the same sequence of reactions (metalloporphyrin reduction → cyanide binding/substitution → reoxidation) to occur. Therefore, in cyanide-scavenging applications with this metalloporphyrin, we should be taking advantage of both the improved rate of ligand substitution at Co(II) compared to that at Co(III) and the increased affinity of Co(III) for anionic ligands compared to that of Co(II). Finally, using an established sublethal mouse model for cyanide intoxication, Co(III)TMPyP, administered either 5 min before (prophylaxis) or 1 min after the toxicant, is shown to have very significant antidotal capability. Possible explanations for the results of a previous contradictory study, which failed to find any prophylactic effect of Co(III)TMPyP toward cyanide intoxication, are considered.

The ratio of oxidized and reduced forms of selected antioxidants as a possible marker of oxidative stress in humans

Oxidative stress is an imbalance between reactive oxygen species exposure and the ability of organisms to detoxify the reactive intermediates and to repair the oxidative damage of biologically important molecules. Many clinical studies of oxidative stress unfortunately provide conflicting and contradictory results. The ability of antioxidant systems to adequately respond to oxidative stress can be used in laboratory diagnostics. In the present review, methods using the ratio of reduced and oxidized forms of uric acid, ascorbic acid, glutathione and coenzyme Q10 as suitable indicators of oxidative stress are discussed. From the mentioned publications it is evident that suitable sample preparation prior to analysis is crucial.

Formation constants of copper(i) complexes with cysteine, penicillamine and glutathione: implications for copper speciation in the human eye

Speciation modelling incorporating redox equilibria provides a plausible explanation for copper deposition in the human eye associated with Wilson's disease.

A critical comparison of two high-throughput ascorbate analyses methods for plant samples

Ascorbate (AsA) is an important metabolite involved in stress response and development of plants. Therefore it is necessary to quantify the AsA content in many fields of plant science, including high throughput and critical applications. In this study we compared two different microplate-based AsA assays, which are suitable for high throughput applications: an ascorbate oxidase (AO)-based assay and a dipyridyl (DPD)-based assay. These methods were compared in critical applications, i.e. (i) when AsA concentrations were very low such as in apoplastic extracts, (ii) when plants contained pigments interfering with the spectrometric measurements, and (iii) when plants contained high iron concentration interfering with the color reactions. The precision of measurements was higher with the DPD method, as illustrated by higher recovery rates of internal AsA standards. On the other hand, the AO method was more sensitive to low levels of AsA. This was an advantage in determining apoplastic AsA concentration in rice, which was substantially lower than that of whole tissues. The AO method also had the advantage that plant pigments and high iron concentrations in plants tissues did not interfere with the analysis, as opposed to the DPD assay. In conclusion, both assays had advantages and the choice of a suitable method depends on the specific application.

In situ detection of dopamine using nitrogen incorporated diamond nanowire electrode

Significant difference was observed for the simultaneous detection of dopamine (DA), ascorbic acid (AA), and uric acid (UA) mixture using nitrogen incorporated diamond nanowire (DNW) film electrodes grown by microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. For the simultaneous sensing of ternary mixtures of DA, AA, and UA, well-separated voltammetric peaks are obtained using DNW film electrodes in differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) measurements. Remarkable signals in cyclic voltammetry responses to DA, AA and UA (three well defined voltammetric peaks at potentials around 235, 30, 367 mV for DA, AA and UA respectively) and prominent enhancement of the voltammetric sensitivity are observed at the DNW electrodes. In comparison to the DPV results of graphite, glassy carbon and boron doped diamond electrodes, the high electrochemical potential difference is achieved via the use of the DNW film electrodes which is essential for distinguishing the aforementioned analytes. The enhancement in EC properties is accounted for by increase in sp(2) content, new C-N bonds at the diamond grains, and increase in the electrical conductivity at the grain boundary, as revealed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and near edge X-ray absorption fine structure measurements. Consequently, the DNW film electrodes provide a clear and efficient way for the selective detection of DA in the presence of AA and UA.

Simultaneous electrochemical determination of dopamine and ascorbic acid using AuNPs@polyaniline core-shell nanocomposites modified electrode

A simple and effective strategy was proposed for synthesis of AuNPs@polyaniline (AuNPs@PANI) core-shell nanocomposites. AuNPs@PANI nanocomposites were prepared by one-step chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline using chloroaurate acid as the oxidant and AuNPs as the seeds. The synthesized AuNPs@PANI nanocomposites were characterized with transmission electron microscope and UV-vis absorption spectra. Cyclic voltammetric experiments indicated that AuNPs@PANI nanocomposites showed excellent electroactivity in neutral and even alkaline solution. The obtained AuNPs@PANI nanocomposites-modified electrode was fabricated to simultaneously determine dopamine (DA) and ascorbic acid (AA) by differential pulse voltammetry. The separation between the two peak potentials of DA and AA oxidation is 236 mV. The catalytic peak currents were linearly with the concentrations of DA and AA in the range of 10-1700 and 20-1600 μM with correlation coefficients of 0.9997 and 0.9998, respectively. The detection limits for DA and AA were 5 and 8 μM, respectively.

Direct electrochemistry and electrocatalysis of myoglobin immobilized on L-cysteine self-assembled gold electrode

Myoglobin (Mb) has been successfully immobilized on a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of L-cysteine (Cys) on a gold electrode, Au/Cys. The presence of a pair of well-defined and nearly reversible waves centered at ca. 0.086 V vs Ag/AgCl (pH 6.5) suggests that the native character of Mb heme Fe(III/II) redox couple has been obtained. The formal potential of Mb on Cys SAM exhibited pH-dependent variation in the pH range of 5-9 with a slope of 55 mV/pH, indicating that the electron transfer is accompanied by a single proton exchange. Thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of Mb adsorption processes on Au/Cys were studied by using voltammetric and quartz-crystal microbalance methods. The Au/Cys electrode with immobilized Mb exhibited electrocatalytic activity toward ascorbic acid (AA) oxidation with an overpotential decrease of over 400 mV and a linear dependence of current on the AA concentration from 0.5 to 5.0 mmol L(-1).

Measurement of ascorbic acid in single rat peritoneal mast cells using capillary electrophoresis with electrochemical detection

In this paper, the amount of ascorbic acid (AA) in single rat peritoneal mast cell was determined by the method of capillary electrophoresis (CE) with electrochemical detection (ED) at a carbon fiber microdisk bundle electrode. The CE-ED system and the single-cell injection system were rearranged to make the operation more convenient and efficient. In the experiment, a self-made holder made of foam was used to keep the capillary from swing, which kept the stability of the baseline of the electropherogram. The single cell was lysed completely within 5s using the 0.1% sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) as the cell lysis solution together with the lysis voltage of 2 kV. The quantitation analysis was accomplished by the use of calibration curves, and the amount of AA in single rat peritoneal mast cell was from 2.4 to 7.1 fmol.

Determination of ascorbic acid in individual rat hepatocyte cells based on capillary electrophoresis with electrochemiluminescence detection

A novel method to detect ascorbic acid (AA) in individual rat hepatocyte cells was developed by combining CE with electrochemiluminescence (ECL) based on tris(2,2'-bipyridine) ruthenium(II) (Ru(bpy)(3)2+). A single cell, followed by 0.1% SDS as cell lysis solution, was injected into the inlet of the separation capillary by electromigration. After optimizing the analytical conditions, the RSDs of migration time and peak height were 0.38% and 2.6% for 1.0x10(-5) M AA (n=10), respectively. The linear range of AA was from 1.0x10(-8) to 5.0x10(-5) M with a correlation coefficient of 0.9979 and the LOD (S/N=3) was estimated to be 1.0x10(-8) M. This method has been successfully applied to determine AA in single rat hepatocytes and the amount of AA in seven rat hepatocytes ranged from 16 to 62 fmol. The above results demonstrated that CE coupled with ECL is convenient, sensitive, and will become an attractive alternative method for single-cell analysis.

Effect of vitamin C on fracture healing in elderly Osteogenic Disorder Shionogi rats

We studied the effect of vitamin C on fracture healing in the elderly. A total of 80 elderly Osteogenic Disorder Shionogi rats were divided into four groups with different rates of vitamin C intake. A closed bilateral fracture was made in the middle third of the femur of each rat. Five weeks after fracture the femora were analysed by mechanical and histological testing. The groups with the lower vitamin C intake demonstrated a lower mechanical resistance of the healing callus and a lower histological grade. The vitamin C levels in blood during healing correlated with the torque resistance of the callus formed (r = 0.525). Therefore, the supplementary vitamin C improved the mechanical resistance of the fracture callus in elderly rats. If these results are similar in humans, vitamin C supplementation should be recommended during fracture healing in the elderly.

Reduction of dehydroascorbic acid at low pH

Ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acid are unstable in aqueous solution in the presence of copper and iron ions, causing problems in the routine analysis of vitamin C. Their stability can be improved by lowering the pH below 2, preferably with metaphosphoric acid. Dehydroascorbic acid, an oxidised form of vitamin C, gives a relatively low response on the majority of chromatographic detectors, and is therefore routinely determined as the increase of ascorbic acid formed after reduction. The reduction step is routinely performed at a pH that is suboptimal for the stability of both forms. In this paper, the reduction of dehydroascorbic acid with tris-[2-carboxyethyl] phosphine (TCEP) at pH below 2 is evaluated. Dehydroascorbic acid is fully reduced with TCEP in metaphosphoric acid in less than 20 min, and yields of ascorbic acid are the same as at higher pH. TCEP and ascorbic acid formed by reduction, are more stable in metaphosphoric acid than in acetate or citrate buffers at pH 5, in the presence of redox active copper ions. The simple experimental procedure and low probability of artefacts are major benefits of this method, over those currently applied in a routine assay of vitamin C, performed on large number of samples.

Simultaneous detection of ascorbate and uric acid using a selectively catalytic surface

The direct and selective detection of ascorbate at conventional carbon or metal electrodes is difficult due to its large overpotential and fouling by oxidation products. Electrode modification by electrochemical reduction of diazonium salts of different aryl derivatives is useful for catalytic, analytical and biotechnological applications. A monolayer of o-aminophenol (o-AP) was grafted on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) via the electrochemical reduction of its in situ prepared diazonium salts in aqueous solution. The o-aminophenol confined surface was characterized by cyclic voltammetry. The grafted film demonstrated an excellent electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of ascorbate in phosphate buffer of pH 7.0 shifting the overpotential from +462 to +263 mV versus Ag/AgCl. Cyclic voltammetry and d.c. amperometric measurements were carried out for the quantitative determination of ascorbate and uric acid. The catalytic oxidation peak current was linearly dependent on the ascorbate concentration and a linear calibration curve was obtained using d.c. amperometry in the range of 2-20 microM of ascorbate with a correlation coefficient 0.9998, and limit of detection 0.3 microM. The effect of H2O2 on the electrocatalytic oxidation of ascorbate at o-aminophenol modified GC electrode has been studied, the half-life time and rate constant was estimated as 270 s, and 2.57x10(-3) s(-1), respectively. The catalytically selective electrode was applied to the simultaneous detection of ascorbate and uric acid, and used for their determination in real urine samples. This o-AP/GCE showed high stability with time, and was used as a simple and precise amperometric sensor for the selective determination of ascorbate.

Pre-analytical factors affecting ascorbic and uric acid quantification in human plasma

We have recently described a new capillary electrophoresis assay to measure serum ascorbic and uric acids in which a baseline separation of peaks was obtained in less than 4 min by using a 60.2 cm x 75 microm uncoated capillary with a 100 mmol/L sodium borate running buffer pH 8. Since during sample preparation AA is rapidly oxidized, we employed our new capillary electrophoresis method to analyze the pre-analytical factors affecting its stability. In particular we evaluated how the standard mix preparation, the blood collection (plasma EDTA or serum) and the plasma protein precipitation influence the results of analysis. Our data suggest that standard ascorbate must be dissolved in a solution containing cysteine and EDTA in order to avoid oxidation and that EDTA blood collection is better than serum for AA measurement. Moreover, the type and the quantity of the precipitating compound are critical parameters to obtain a complete recovery of analytes. We performed AA and UA analysis in 32 healthy volunteers with the optimized experimental conditions by using our capillary electrophoresis method and a reference CE assay. Obtained data were compared to Bland-Altman test to verify the accuracy of our CZE method.

Sodium glycylglycine as effective electrolyte run buffer for ascorbic and uric acid separation by CZE: A comparison with two other CE assays

A new CE method for ascorbic acid (AA) and uric acid (UA) detection in human plasma has been developed. Analytes were resolved in less than 4 min by employing sodium glycylglycine (Glygly) as electrolyte run buffer at pH 8.0. Using the diode array detector ability to measure multiple wavelengths simultaneously, detection was optimized by monitoring the run at 262 nm for AA and at 288 nm for UA. Electrophoretic parameters such as resolution, migration times, efficiency, and peak areas of this new method were compared to those obtained by the two CE assays described in literature, in which the analytes separation was achieved by using sodium borate (that allows faster migration times but poor resolution) or tricine (with the highest resolution but elevated migration times) as electrolyte run buffer. Sodium Glygly allows to obtain the same good resolution given by the tricine buffer but with the faster analysis times of the sodium borate run buffer. Ascorbate and urate levels were measured in 35 healthy volunteers by the three methods and the obtained data were compared by three different statistical tests (mountain plot, Passing-Bablok regression, and Bland-Altman test) in order to verify the accuracy of our proposed method.

Determination of glucose in human aqueous humor using Raman spectroscopy and designed-solution calibration

Glucose concentrations of in vitro human aqueous humor (HAH) samples from cataract patients were determined using 785 nm Raman spectra and partial least squares (PLS) calibration. PLS models were created from spectra of prepared calibration solutions rather than aqueous humor samples. Spectra were obtained with an excitation energy (100 mW for 150 s), which was higher than can be applied in vivo, to decrease the models' contribution to prediction uncertainty. The solutions contained experimentally designed levels of glucose, bicarbonate, lactate, urea, and ascorbate. Multiplicative signal correction of spectra helped compensate for the +/-20% drift in laser power observed at the sample over six noncontiguous days of data collection. Seventeen HAH samples containing 38-775 mg/dL of glucose exhibited a root-mean-square error (RMSEP) of 22 mg/dL, coefficient of determination (r(2)) of 0.989, and bias of 6 mg/dL when predicted from lower energy (30 s) spectra collected contemporaneously with fifty calibration spectra. Similar results were obtained even when spectral data were gathered separately for human aqueous humor samples and calibration samples: 10 HAH samples, calibrated on 25 solutions measured 3.6 weeks earlier, exhibited an RMSEP of 23 mg/dL, r(2) of 0.992, and bias of 9 mg/dL. The results demonstrate progress toward the determination of glucose levels in patient-derived aqueous humor using laboratory-derived "artificial aqueous humor" calibration solutions.

Impairment of cell and plasma redox state in subjects professionally exposed to chromium

BACKGROUND

Chromium (Cr) is widely used in chemical, tannery, building, and metal industries. More recently, it has been demonstrated that Cr induces oxidative stress in mouse brain. Nevertheless very few data exist on in vivo oxidative damage in humans exposed to Cr.

METHODS

Changes in antioxidant parameters both in plasma (acid ascorbic redox state and total antioxidant capacity) and in red blood cells (glutathione (GSH) redox state) of 40 subjects (age 37.65 +/- 7.46; M/F 20/20) professionally exposed to Cr who were recruited from metal, chemistry, and building industries were evaluated. We also evaluated the levels of lipoperoxidation (thiobarbituric acid-reactive material, TBA-RM) and thiol levels in plasma to assess the extent of oxidative stress state. To evaluate Cr exposure rate, we measured urinary-chromium (U-Cr) by an electrothermic atomization-atomic absorption spectrometry (ETA-AAS) method.

RESULTS

In this study, we found that Cr exposure induced a decrease both in GSH (P < 0.0005) and GSH/oxidized glutathione (GSSG) ratio (P < 0.0001) in red blood cells from workers with respect to control subjects. Furthermore, we also demonstrated a significant decrease of plasma acid ascorbic levels (45.7 +/- 14.9 vs. 53.5 +/- 16.5 micromol/L; P < 0.05) and in total plasma antioxidant capacity (1,126.3 +/- 212.2 vs. 1,266.9 +/- 207.8 micromol/L; P < 0.05) in subjects exposed to Cr. No difference was found with regard to TBA-RM and thiol levels.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that in humans, an oxidative stress occurs for Cr exposures as low as those considered safe. This oxidative stress appears to be able to affect intracellular and plasmatic antioxidant defense.