Supplementation with carotenoids corrects increased lipid peroxidation in children with cystic fibrosis.

Evidence of lipid peroxidation previously doc- umented in cystic fibrosis (CF) implies an imbalance between free radical generation and antioxidant defense mechanisms. The aim of the present study was to examine the relation between plasma concentrations of malondialdehyde, a marker of lipid peroxidation, and the exogenous antioxidant line of defense. Malondialdehyde concentrations (90.2 ± 4.7 nmolIL) in 25 children with CF aged 9.6 ± 0.8 y were higher (P < 0.001) than concentrations (69.1 ± 2.6 nmol/L) in 17 children used as control subjects and were not correlated with any marker of disease severity. In contrast with their all-rac-a-tocopherol status, which was normal as a result of routine supplementation with a 200-mg dose of all-rac-a-tocoph- enyl acetate/d, /3-carotene was very low. A 2-mo open trial in which 12 children with CF aged 1 1.5 ± 0.8 y were given 4.42 mg (8.23 �tmol) �3-carotene three times per day led to normalization of the malondialdehyde concentration in all but 1 patient, in conjunc- tion with an increase of plasma f3-carotene from 0.08 ± 0.03 to 3.99 ± 0.92 pmoWL. Their plasma concentrations were inversely correlated (r = -0.42, P < 0.05) with malondialdehyde when the values measured pre- and posttreatment were pooled. We conclude that n-carotene deficiency contributes to lipid peroxidation in CF and that supplementation may eventually prove to be a useful adjunct for the management of the disease. Am J Clin Nutr 1996;64:87-93.