Activity of Antioxidant Enzymes in the Tumor and Adjacent Noncancerous Tissues of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Lung tissue is directly exposed to high oxygen pressure, as well as increased endogenous and exogenous oxidative stress. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated in these conditions play an important role in the initiation and promotion of neoplastic growth. In response to oxidative stress, the antioxidant activity increases and minimizes ROS-induced injury in experimental systems. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the activity of antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD; isoforms: Cu/ZnSOD and MnSOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), and glutathione S-transferase (GST), along with the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) in tumor and adjacent noncancerous tissues of two histological types of NSCLC, i.e., adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, collected from 53 individuals with surgically resectable NSCLC. MDA concentration was similar in tumors compared with adjacent noncancerous tissues. Tumor cells had low MnSOD activity, usually low Cu/ZnSOD activity, and almost always low catalase activity compared with those of the corresponding tumor-free lung tissues. Activities of GSH-related enzymes were significantly higher in tumor tissues, irrespective of the histological type of cancer. This pattern of antioxidant enzymes activity could possibly be the way by which tumor cells protect themselves against increased oxidative stress.