8-isoprostane as the main marker of oxidative stress

Abstract

The purpose - is to generalize the data of experimental and clinical studies which have established that the basis of main metabolic processes in humans are redox reactions. Among them, free-radical reactions, leading to the formation of peroxide compounds, play a special role. Thus, it is important to determine the parameters of oxidative stress, its intensity that is necessary for an adequate assessment of the body compensatory capabilities, the prognosis of the disease course and the effectiveness of the treatment received. Material and methods. The article describes the definition of the notion of oxidative stress, lists the most important oxidants and the mechanisms of their damaging effects. The role of oxidative stress in a number of cardiovascular, pulmonary and neurological diseases pathogenesis has been discussed, and oxidative processes activation during oocyte maturation in the follicular fluid has been shown. Isoprostanes is a group of prostaglandin isomers which was discovered not long ago. The author of this article shows the metabolism of arachidonic acid as the most widespread and important precursor of eicosanoids, whose family includes isoprostanes. Isoprostanes appear in tissues and blood plasma as a consequence of membrane oxidative degradation, reflecting the change in the membranes integrity and fluidity under OS conditions. They are present in biological fluids, such as urine, blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and in exhaled air under normal conditions, increasing as OS occurs. 8-isoprostane is isomeric to prostaglandin F2 allowing to estimate the level of free radicals production with a sufficient degree of accuracy, reliability and reproduction of the study results and its amount is directly related to the level of free radicals formed. Conclusions. The results of previous studies have shown that the determination of 8-iso-PgF2 alpha level serves as the gold standard for determining the activity of oxidative stress in persons with the diseases described, as well as in patients with diabetes mellitus, obesity, hypercholesterolemia and in smokers.