Prooxidant-antioxidant balance in Iranian veterans exposed to mustard gas and its correlation with biochemical and hematological parameters

The present study aimed to evaluate serum prooxidant -antioxidant balance (PAB) in an Iranian population exposed to sulfur mustard (SM) more than 20 years ago. In this study, 42 SM-exposed subjects and 30 unexposed subjects (as controls) were recruited. Serum PAB, biochemical, and hematological parameters were measured in all subjects. Correlation of PAB with biochemical and hematological parameters was determined. The mean PAB values in the SM-exposed group (82.5 +/- 34.8 HK) were significantly higher than that in the control group [47.5 +/- 17.8 HK] (p < 0.001). The results demonstrated that serum PAB values were positively correlated with alkaline phosphatase activities in the SM-exposed group. Furthermore, PAB values showed a significant negative correlation with hepatic enzymes (AST, ALT), triglycerides, total bilirubin, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentrations. PAB values showed a borderline significant negative correlation with uric acid. The present results suggest that late oxidative stress and alterations in biochemical and hematological parameters may be a consequence of the frequent respiratory infections rather than direct toxic effects of SM.