Glutathione, vitamin D and antioxidant status in the blood of patients with colorectal cancer: A pilot study

A case-control study was conducted to evaluate some parameters of antioxidant and nutritional status in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) and healthy controls. The present study was based on 25 patients with diagnosed CRC, ranging in age from 35 to 76 years with the mean age of 51.3±11.3 years. There were healthy volunteers (age-and sex-matched) serving as the control subjects. We measured reduced glutathione (GSH, a marker of antioxidant response) in erythrocytes along with the examination of plasma antioxidants (vitamin E, A and beta-carotene) and vitamin D. The results showed that the levels of vitamin D and GSH in the blood of the patients with CRC were significantly lower than the control. However, there was no significant difference in the level of vitamin A and beta-carotene in the blood of the patients with CRC as compared to control group. Interestingly, our results showed a significant increase in the blood level of Vitamin E in patients with CRC as compared to control. Our results indicate significant role of oxidativeinduced injury in the CRC carcinogenesis. The decreased concentrations of vitamin D and GSH in CRC cases as compared to controls could be used as predictors for having CRC. However, no association between vitamin A and beta-carotene and CRC was detected. Higher plasma concentration of vitamin E was noticed in CRC cases comparing to controls.