Assessment of thiol/disulfide balance as an oxidative stress marker in children with β-thalassemia major

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the oxidative stress status in children with β-thalassemia major (β-TM) by measuring native thiol (SH), disulfide (SS) and total thiol (SH + SS) plasma levels. METHODS: This study was carried out from November 2017 to March 2018 at the Pediatric Hematology Clinic of the Harran University Medical Faculty Hospital. Blood specimens were collected from 100 participants, including 50 β-TM patients and 50 controls, and SH, SS and SH+SS levels were detected through a newly developed method. RESULTS: SH, SS, SH+SS levels and SS/SH ratio were markedly higher in β-TM patients than in controls. In β-TM group, SH and SH+SS levels were positively correlated with age, albumin and total bilirubin. Serum ferritin level was positively correlated with SH, SH+SS, aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase. CONCLUSIONS: We found that the SS/SH ratio was high in patients with β-TM, which shows increased oxidative stress. This ratio may be considered as a tool for the determination of oxidative status in such patients due to easily calculate, suitable for routine use and economical.