International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology (2004) 68, 889—894 The role of free oxygen radicals on the development of otitis media with effusion

Free oxygen radicals Summary Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine if free oxygen radicals (FORs) and antioxidant enzyme activities have some role in pathogenesis of otitis media with effusion (OME) in children with adenoid hyperplasia. Methods: Seventy-four patients were enrolled in three groups of this study. The study group (Group I) included 26 patients who had adenoidectomy with ventilation tube place-ment due to chronic OME. The control adenoid group (Group II) consisted of 28 age-matched patients who had adenoidectomy without ventilation tube insertion. Twenty children were included in the healthy control group (Group III). Erythro-cyte malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glu-tathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) enzyme activities were investigated in the venous blood sample. Results: Erythrocyte MDA level and GSH-Px enzyme activity in the blood sam-ples of study group (Group I) were significantly higher than those of Group II and Group III (P < 0.05). SOD enzyme activity in the blood samples of Group I was significantly lower than Group II (P < 0.05), and were significantly higher than Group III (P < 0.05)