Plasma protein oxidation and total antioxidant power in premenstrual dysphoric disorder and menstruating young adult females

Purpose: Oxidative damage has been associated with many human diseases encompassing mood affective disorders. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) has features which are similar to these, along with physical symptoms of stress. The purpose of the present study was, to assess whether oxidative stress has any role in PMDD. Method: Female subjects suffering from PMDD, in the age group of 20-24 years, were compared to their eumennorhic counterparts and also with those with premenstrual syndrome (PMS), in the follicular phase and in the late luteal phase for the ferric reducing antioxidant power of plasma (FRAP), plasma protein thiol (PPT) and protein carbonyl (PPC) levels. Results: There were no significant changes in the FRAP and PPC levels in the controls, in the PMS and the PMDD groups, but PPT levels decreased significantly in the luteal phase of the PMS (P=0.015) and the PMDD groups (P= 0.018) when compared to those in the follicular phase. Besides, PPT levels exhibited a significant increase (P=0.015) in the follicular phase of the PMDD subjects. Conclusion: A marked decrease in PPT levels in the luteal phase of the PMS and the PMDD groups may be due to the pro-oxidant nature of oestrogen - active in this phase of PMS, leading to the consumption of the sacrificial antioxidant - protein thiol. Further, to compensate this loss, a large reserve of PPT gets accumulated in the follicular phase of the PMDD group, thus indicating a dynamic turnover of this antioxidant between the two phases.