Assessment of serum malondialdehyde, uric acid, and vitamins C and E levels in patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a common oral mucosal disease. Recently, oxidative stress has been thought to play a major role in the etiopathogenesis of RAS. The aim of this investigation was to compare the serum levels of an important oxidant agent [malondialdehyde (MDA)] and nonenzymatic antioxidants [uric acid (UA) and vitamins C and E] in patients with RAS versus healthy individuals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-seven patients with idiopathic minor RAS and 97 race-, age-, and sex-matched healthy individuals were included in this study. All these individuals were allocated to three groups: RAS patients in the active stage (Group A); the same RAS patients in Group A in the remission stage (Group B); and healthy individuals without RAS (Group C). The serum levels of MDA, UA, and vitamins C and E were measured by the spectrophotometric method. Independent sample t test and paired t test were performed for statistical evaluation. RESULTS: Serum MDA level of Group A was significantly higher than that of Group B (P = 0.040) or Group C (P = 0.011), whereas the serum level of vitamin E was significantly decreased in Group A as compared with Group B (P = 0.012) or Group C (P = 0.001). No statistically significant differences were found between Group B and Group C in terms of MDA, UA, and vitamins C and E serum levels (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: With the double-faced character of oxidant/antioxidant, UA and vitamin C may not play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of RAS. However, MDA and vitamin E can be used as indicators for RAS.