ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of ionizing radiation (IR) and non-ionizing radiation (NIR) on oxidative stress and the total antioxidant status (TAS) in men working in radiation environments.

The serum values of total oxidant status (TOS), malondialdehyde (MDA), and protein carbonyl (PC) in men exposed to radiation and a control group were determined. In addition, the values of the total antioxidant status (TAS) were measured in serum, and the oxidative stress index (OSI) was calculated to determine the oxidative stress. Data were analyzed by SPSS 20.0 (Chicago, IL, USA).

While the serum values of PC, MDA, TOS, and OSI were significantly higher in the IR group than in the control group, those of TAS were significantly lower (p<0.001, p=0.003, p<0.001, p<0.001, and p= 0.002, respectively). The serum values of PC, TOS, and OSI were significantly higher in the NIR group than in the control group (p<0.001, p=0.021, and p=0.010, respectively). In contrast, there were no significant differences in the values of TAS and MDA (p>0.05 and p>0.05, respectively) in the same groups.

Based on these results, we determined that it had been damaged the balance between oxidants and antioxidant status in the IR and NIR groups. This effect of oxidative stress may cause a lot of damage to cellular macromolecules including lipids, proteins, and DNA.

Keywords: Ionizing radiation, non-ionizing radiation, total oxidant status, malondialdehyde, protein carbonyl, total antioxidant status, oxidative stress index