Plasma Trace Element, Plasma Glutathione Peroxidase, and Superoxide Dismutase Levels in Epileptic Children Receiving Antiepileptic Drug Therapy

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Abstract
Summary: Some antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) may altertrace element metabolism and free radical scavenging enzyme activities in humans and experimental animals. We investigated the effect of longterm AED therapy on copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), selenium (Se), magnesium (Mg), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the plasma in children with epilepsy. During treatment with valproate (VPA) or carbamazepine (CBZ) monotherapy plasma Cu, Zn, Mn, Se, and Mg concentrations of patients were not statistically different from those of control subjects. The level of seoxidation may be causally involved in some forms of epilepsies, and the decreased free radical scavenging enzyme activity is believed to cause the increased risk of anidiosyncratic drug reaction encountered in the manage-ment of epilepsy. Because GSH-PX and SOD are themost important members of antioxidant defense mechanisms, we quantitated the activities of these enzymes inplasma of children with epilepsy receiving VPA or CBZ. Only plasma GSH-PX activities in VPA group werehigher than those of the control group, and the differencewas statistically significant.