Oxidant and anti-oxidant status in common brain tumors: Correlation to TP53 and human biliverdin reductase.

OBJECTIVE: To assess oxidant and antioxidant status in patients with common brain tumors; namely meningiomas, low-grade gliomas (LGG) and high-grade gliomas (HGG) and to compare with normal brain tissues.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Almost nine biomarkers were measured in 59 brain tumors obtained during surgery and 15 normal brain tissues that were collected during autopsy. Results were compared between two groups.

RESULTS: In general, protein oxidation and lipid peroxidation increased while antioxidant capacity decreased significantly in tumors compared to the controls (p<0.05) and higher the grade of the tumor, higher the levels of oxidation and lower the anti-oxidation.

CONCLUSIONS: Reactive oxygen species may play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of these common brain tumors. As the processes at the molecular level understood, targeted-treatment adjunct to surgical removal will be possible to cope with these devastating brain tumors.