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Original Article
 

Differences in the Behavior of Advanced Glycation End Products and Advanced Oxidation Protein Products in Patients With Allergic Rhinitis
 

G Di Lorenzo,1 PL Minciullo,2 MS Leto-Barone,1 S La Piana,3 G La Porta,1 A Saija,4 S Gangemi2,5

1 Dipartimento BioMedico di Medicina Interna e Specialistica, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
2 School and Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, University Hospital “G. Martino”, Messina, Italy
3 Dipartimento di Biopatologia e Biotecnologie Mediche e Forensi, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
4 Dipartimento Farmaco-Biologico, School of Pharmacy, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
5I nstitute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology “A. Monroy” (IBIM) – Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Palermo, Italy

J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol 2013; Vol. 23(2): 101-106
 

 Abstract


Background: The presence of oxidative stress in patients with asthma is well documented; however, the role of oxidative stress in allergic rhinitis has received less attention, although it is likely to be similar to that observed in patients with asthma. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs) are compounds formed by the transformation of macromolecules, including proteins, which can serve as densitometric markers of oxidative stress and inflammation in several diseases.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of AGEs and AOPPs as new markers of oxidative stress and infl ammation in patients affected by allergic rhinitis.

Methods: AGE and AOPP levels were determined in the sera of 25 patients with allergic rhinitis and 64 healthy controls. AGEs and AOPPs were detected using spectrofluorimetry and spectrophotometry, respectively.

Results: AGE levels in patients were significantly higher than those in controls (P<.0001). These levels were not affected by the presence of asthma. No statistically significant differences were found between AOPP levels in patients or controls (P=.38).

Conclusions: Formation of AGEs and AOPPs may be accelerated in immunological and respiratory disorders such as asthma. Depending on the marker evaluated, the presence or absence of oxidative stress in allergic rhinitis is controversial. To our knowledge, this is the first study showing the possible involvement of AGEs in allergic rhinitis. The different behavior observed for these 2 biomarkers is very likely due to the activation of specific related biochemical pathways (eg, the myeloperoxidase pathway) associated with the condition under study.

Key words: Advanced glycation end products. Advanced oxidation protein products. Allergic rhinitis. Oxidative stress. Allergy.