Serum and tissue antioxidant capacity in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia investigated using an enhanced chemiluminescent reaction.

: Depleted antioxidant defence has been implicated in the pathogenesis of cervical neoplasia. We determined the systemic and local antioxidant status of women with this condition. Thirty-four women with varying grades of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, 25 patients who had been treated successfully with diathermy loop excision, and 56 women who had no evidence of cervical abnormality acted as controls. Total antioxidant capacity of serum and protein-free serum, and of neat and protein-free homogenized cervical punch biopsies were determined using enhanced chemiluminescence. Mean serum antioxidant capacity of patients with current neoplasia and treated patients was not significantly different from that of controls. However, mean antioxidant capacity of homogenized cervical tissue from women with neoplasia was significantly lower than control means (P < 0.005), while results for treated patients were intermediate between those from diseased and normal samples (P < 0.05). The enhanced chemiluminescence technique has potential as a suitable method for measuring total antioxidant capacity of cervical tissue, and warrants further investigations using other tissue types. Significant antioxidant depletion in cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia appears to be confined to the local cervical mucosa.