Molecular basi of superoxide dismutase alterations in Spirometry proven bronchial asthma.

OBJECTIVE: To study alterations in superoxide dismutase at molecular level in spirometry-proven bronchial asthma.

METHODS: This pilot study was conducted at Baqai Medical University Hospital, Karachi, from June to December 2013, and comprised spirometry-proven asthmatics. The allele frequencies of missense polymorphisms of the exon-intron of a superoxide dismutase, copper-zinc superoxide dismutase were included in the analysis and compared with their age- and gender-matched healthy controls.

RESULTS: Of the 45 participants, 30(66.7%) were cases and 15(33.3%) were controls. The mean age of cases and controls was 37.77±11.95 and 37.27±11.81 years, respectively. The case population showed significant mean baseline and predicted spirometric values (p<0.05). The mean serum superoxide oxide dismutase in cases and controls was 62.53± 15.23 and 55.65± 15.87, respectively. The superoxide dismutase genetic variants studied for the intronic polymorphism in copper-zinc superoxide dismutase showed increased risk of asthma compared with non-asthmatic controls.

CONCLUSIONS: Levels of serum superoxide dismutase were elevated with concomitant amplification of copper-zinc superoxide dismutase gene.