Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Biomarkers in People with Methamphetamine Use Disorder

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the blood serum levels of biomarkers specifying oxidative stress status and systemic inflammation between people using methamphetamine (METH) and the control group (CG). Serum thiol/disulfide balance and ischemia-modified albumin levels were studied to determine oxidative stress, and serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels and complete blood count (CBC) were to assess inflammation. METHODS: Fifty patients with METH use disorder (MUD) and 36 CG participants were included in the study. Two tubes of venous blood samples were taken to measure oxidative stress, serum thiol/disulfide balance, ischemia-modified albumin, and IL-6 levels between groups. The correlation of parameters measuring oxidative stress and inflammation between groups with sociodemographic data was investigated. RESULTS: In this study, serum total thiol, free thiol levels, disulfide/native thiol percentage ratios, and serum ischemia-modified albumin levels of the patients were statistically significantly higher than the healthy controls. No difference was observed between the groups in serum disulfide levels and serum IL-6 levels. Considering the regression analysis, only the duration of substance use was a statistically significant factor in explaining serum IL-6 levels. The parameters showing inflammation in the CBC were significantly higher in the patients than in the CG. CONCLUSION: CBC can be used to evaluate systemic inflammation in patients with MUD. Parameters measuring thiol/disulfide homeostasis and ischemia-modified albumin can be, also, used to assess oxidative stress.