[The effect of antiepileptic drug therapy on antioxidant enzyme activity and serum lipid peroxidation in young patients with epilepsy].

Changes in antioxidant defense mechanisms and the resulting increased lipid peroxidation are involved in the pathogenesis of epilepsy. Research findings concerning the effect of antiepileptic therapies on these processes are discordant. The aim of our study was to estimate, firstly, the activity of the following antioxidant enzymes: superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and glutathione reductase (GSSG-R), and secondly, malondialdehyde (MDA) serum concentration in children and adolescents newly diagnosed with epilepsy and receiving either carbamazepine (CBZ) or valproate (VPA) monotherapy, or polytherapy. The study group included 90 young patients with epilepsy, aged 6 months to 20 years. In 22 patients epilepsy was newly diagnosed; CBZ monotherapy was administered to 16 patients, VPA monotherapy--to 25, and polytherapy--in 27 cases. The control group consisted of 61 non-epileptic patients aged 4-17 years. SOD, GSH-Px and GSSG-R activities and MDA concentration were measured using spectrophotometry. SOD activity was decreased in newly diagnosed epileptic children receiving VPA or CBZ monotherapy (p < 0.05), or polytherapy (p < 0.01) in comparison to relevant levels in non-epileptic patients. GSH-Px activity was increased in all the patients, but significantly in those receiving polytherapy (p < 0.05). While in patients newly diagnosed with epilepsy no change in GSSG-R activity was found, its level was slightly lower both in those receiving VPA monotherapy and polytherapy, but increased in those with CBZ monotherapy. MDA concentration was elevated in all the epileptic patients, significantly (p < 0.05) both in VPA monotherapy and in polytherapy, while insignificantly--in newly diagnosed epilepsy and in CBZ monotherapy. Our results indicate that in the serum of children and adolescents with epilepsy the oxidants-antioxidants balance is modified by antiepileptic therapy.