Increased serum nitric oxide and malondialdehyde levels in patients with acute intestinal amebiasis

Objective: To determine the level of oxygen-nitrogen stress parameters in the pathogenesis of amebiasis. Methods: Twenty-four acute intestinal amebiasis patients and 20 healthy controls were enrolled in the present study. Serum malondialdehyde and nitric oxide levels were determined spectrophotometrically. Results: Serum malondialdehyde and nitric oxide levels were significantly higher in acute intestinal amebiasis patients than healthy controls (P < 0.001). Conclusions: These results suggest that oxidative and nitrosative stress may play a major role in tissue damage in acute intestinal amebiasis patients. Also these parameters can be used to supplement the conventional microscopic method for reliable diagnosis of intestinal amebiasis. © 2011 Asian Pacific Tropical Biomedical Magazine.