Evaluation of oxidant and antioxidant system markers in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis before and after hospital treatment

Abstract

Introduction. Pulmonary tuberculosis remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. According to data published by the World Health Organization in 2024, a total of 8.2 million people were newly diagnosed with TB in 2023, compared with 7.5 million in 2022, 7.1 million in 2019, and markedly higher than the 5.8 million and 6.4 million in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Materials and methods. The prospective study involved 59 participants before and after treatment: 11 women (18.6%) and 48 men (81.4%). The participants were divided into 2 groups: group L1 – patients with tuberculosis before treatment, and group L2 – patients with tuberculosis after treatment. Serum levels of nitric oxide, malondialdehyde, glutathione reductase, and total antioxidant activity were measured using a spectrophotometric method. Results. In the study, we demonstrated that nitric oxide and malondialdehyde serum concentrations were non-significantly higher in the L2 group compared with the L1 group. Glutathione reductase activity showed a significant decrease in antioxidant activity in the L2 group, indicating reduced antioxidant capacity. Total antioxidant activity showed a non-significant decrease in the L1 group compared with the L2 group. Conclusions. The results of the research demonstrated that the administered anti-tuberculosis treatment increased nitric oxide and malondialdehyde levels, and reduced glutathione reductase and total antioxidant activity. This phenomenon indicates the persistence of oxidative stress even after treatment. The levels of nitric oxide, malondialdehyde, glutathione reductase, and total antioxidant activity in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis may serve as biomarkers for monitoring disease progression.