Introduction: Oxidant/antioxidant interactions are known to be important processes in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We aimed to evaluate the effects of corticosteroids (CS), and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on plasma oxidant/antioxidant levels in patients with COPD.
Methods: This study utilised a single-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel-group methodology. We enrolled 58 patients with stable COPD and 30 healthy controls with similar demographic profiles. The patients with COPD were randomly divided into three treatment groups. Group 1 received basal treatment (regular ipratropium bromide and beta-2 agonist as needed), placebo CS and placebo NAC. In addition to basal treatment, group 2 received oral CS (methylprednisolone 40 mg/day) and placebo NAC. Group 3 received basal treatment plus NAC (600 mg/day) and placebo CS. Each group received treatment for 15 days. We measured plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) at the start and the end of study.
Results: Post-treatment plasma MDA levels were significantly lowered only in group 2 (P=0.004). No significant differences were found with respect to erythrocyte SOD levels.
Conclusion: This study demonstrates that oral CS, by aiding the oxidant/antioxidant system, may offer a new therapeutic option in COPD treatment.