Alteration in serum levels of selenium and glutathione peroxidase in acute myocardial infarction

Atherosclerosis is a vascular disease that occurs primarily in the aorta, coronary arteries and cerebral arteries with thickening of arteries and loss of elasticity. Despite decreased antioxidant activity documented among patients with atherosclerosis, the relationship between atherosclerosis and levels of antioxidants is still unknown. The present study was designed to evaluate serum levels of selenium and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in patients with acute myocardial infarction with respect to healthy controls. A total of 20 patients (mean age 53.9 ± 11.1 years; 65% were males) in the myocardial infarction with ST-segment elevation group were compared with 29 subjects (mean age 46.9 ± 13.6 years; 55.2% were females) in the control group in terms of serum selenium and GPx levels. Patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, chronic renal disease, chronic liver disease, malignancy, prior cardiac events were not included. As result, there was a significant reduction in serum selenium levels of patient with myocardial infarction when compared to control subjects. However patient and control groups were similar in terms of serum GPx levels. In conclusion, since serum levels of Se are directly proportional to GPx activity but inversely proportional to the age, addition of Se to the diet in elderly patients seems to have a benefit in increasing antioxidant protection.