Summary
Background. Psychological stress can induce the production of free radicals and oxidative stress in the human body. But very little is known about changes in oxidative and antioxidant system markers during stress process when not only psychosocial stressors but also concentrations of blood, salivary and hair cortisol – objective stress biomarker are taken into account.
The aim of the study was to evaluate the stress induced changes in the concentration of malondialdehyde, an oxidative stress marker, and total blood serum antioxidant capacity, and the blood concentration of one of the most effective lipophilic antioxidants – carotenoids.
Materials and methods. 220 apparently healthy males aged 25–55 years were subjects of this research. Blood serum levels of malondialdehyde, total and individual carotenoids, total antioxidant capacity and concentrations of serum, salivary and hair cortisol were measured; psychosocial stress level was assessed by using validated questionnaire. Individuals with blood, salivary and hair cortisol concentrations below median (<217.56 ng/mL, <9.51 ng/mL, <45.63 ng/g respectively) – were classified as having low level of stress and above median – as having high level of stress. Microsoft Excel and SPSS (IBM SPSS v23.0) programs were used for statistical data analysis.
Results. Referent values of serum malondialdehyde (38.19–151.32 mg/L) were found in 94.1% of study individuals. The in crease in blood malondialdehyde concentration was associated with age (r=0.302, p=0.0001). No statistically significant associations were found between individual and total serum carotenoid concentrations and hair, saliva or serum cortisol levels (p>0.05). Ferric reducing antioxidant power assay has shown significantly lower total antioxidant capacity in the group of study individuals with high level of stress (r=0.3054, p=0.0062).
Conclusions. According to the criteria of psychosocial stress and blood serum, salivary and hair cortisol levels, study group can be described as having low level of stress. Statistically significant associations of changes in various oxidative and antioxidant system markers with several psychosocial stress factors and blood, salivary and hair cortisol levels were found.
