Plasma Paraoxonase-1, Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein and Lipid Peroxidation Levels in Gout Patients

Gout patients have a high incidence of atherosclerotic coronary heart disease. Low serum paraoxonase (PON) activity is considered a risk factor for atherosclerosis. The relationships among paraoxonase-1 (PON1) activity, oxidative stress parameters, and atherosclerosis in gout is not known. Therefore, we determined the plasma levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), oxidized low-density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL), and activities of PON1/superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in 49 gout patients (mean age 44.2 ± 7.0 years) and 42 healthy, age-matched controls (mean age 45.0 ± 9.3 years). PON1 was measured spectrophotometrically, MDA by thiobarbituric acid method, SOD by Griess reaction, and Ox-LDL by sandwich ELISA. Lipid and other biochemical parameters were determined by routine laboratory methods. In gout patients, PON1/SOD activities and MDA/Ox-LDL levels were 131.3 ± 25.3/75.3 ± 28.9 kU l −1 and 6.12 ± 1.67 nmol ml −1 /690.1 ± 180.2 μg l −1 , respectively. In controls, these were 172.5 ± 27.8/94.0 ± 26.3 kU l −1 and 4.10 ± 1.25 nmol ml −1 /452.3 ± 152.1 μg l −1 , respectively. Thus, in gout patients, there was a significant decrease in PON1 ( P