Investigating thiol/disulfide homeostasis in acute migraine attack with aura

Aim: This study investigates thiol-disulfide hemostasis, which plays a role in the pathophysiology of migraine and is a new marker for oxidative stress in migraine with aura and healthy controls. Material and methods: The study included 53 healthy controls and 60 patients who presented to Konya City Hospital Neurology Outpatient Clinic with headache and were diagnosed migraine with aura. First, written informed consent was obtained from patients and controls. Then, dynamic thiol-disulfide homeostasis was investigated following the automated spectrophotometric method in serum samples of migraine with aura and controls. Native thiol (SH), total thiol (TT), disulfide (SS), ischemia-modified albumin (IMA), disulfide/native thiol (SS/SH), disulfide/total thiol (SS/TT), and native thiol/total thiol (SH/TT) ratios of patients and control groups were calculated. Results: Seven (11.7%) males and 53 (88.3%) females made up 60 migraine patients, and 5 (9.4%) males and 48 (90.6%) females made up 53-person control group. The mean age was 35.3 +/- 10.1 years in the patient group and 36.2 +/- 13.9 years in the control group. Native thiol concentration was 481.6 +/- 53.2 mu mol/L in the migraine group and 448.8 +/- 70.5 mu mol/L in the control group. Furthermore, total thiol concentration was 523.0 +/- 55.3 mu mol/L in the migraine group and 488.7 +/- 72.3 mu mol/L in the control group. Statistically significant differences were found between the groups regarding native and total thiol levels (p < 0.001). However, disulfide, IMA levels, and SS/SH, SS/TT, and SH/TT ratios were similar, and statistical differences between groups were not significant (p>0.05). Discussion: Our results suggested evidence of increment in oxidative stress in migraine. Further research with a larger number of patients is needed to support the presence of oxidative stress in migraine.