The production of free radicals has a role in the regulation of biological function, cellular damage, and the pathogenesis of central nervous system conditions. Epilepsy is a highly prevalent serious brain disorder, and oxidative stress is regarded as a possible mechanism involved in epileptogenesis. The aim of this study is to evaluate the status of some antioxidants in epileptic patients and also verify if there any variation in their concentrations and activities after treatment. A total of 25 patients (15 M:10 F) with primary generalized epilepsy and 25(16M:9F) normal controls all aged 18-48yrs were recruited for the study .Ten patients (6M:4F) who were on Phenobarbital treatment for a minimum of one year with no seizure for ≥6 months were considered for the post- treatment studies. Total antioxidant status (TAS), erythrocyte malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and glutathione (GSH) were measured using standard methods. Plasma TAS concentration for epileptic subjects before treatment was significantly decreased (p<0.05) compared to the controls. However, erythrocyte MDA concentration for epileptic subjects was significantly increased (p<0.01) compared to the controls. The erythrocyte GSH-Px activity for epileptic subject was significantly decreased (p<0.01) compared to the controls. Similarly, the activities of SOD and CAT for epileptic subjects were significantly decreased (p<0.05) compared to the controls. Erythrocyte GSH concentration for epileptic subject was significantly decreased (p<0.05) compared to the controls. A signifcant inverse correlation was obtained between MDA and measured antioxidants among the epileptic subjects before treatment. This study revealed that epileptic subjects are in state of oxidative stress, suggesting that free radicals may be implicated in epilepsy. Antioxidant status in blood of epileptic subjects shows improvement after treatment.
