INDICATORS OF THE ANTIOXIDANT PROTECTION SYSTEM IN THE BLOOD PLASMA OF PATIENTS WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS AFTER SARS-CoV 2-INFECTION

Abstract

An outbreak of pneumonia that began in December 2019 in Wuhan (China) caused the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). After an increase in the number of positive cases of infection in China, on January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the virus epidemic a public health emergency. The 2019 coronavirus disease (Coronavirus disease 2019, COVID-19) has a devastating effect on the health of people in many countries around the world. It is known that the SARS-CoV-2 virus, in addition to damaging the lung parenchyma, can damage other organ systems and complicate the condition of patients with comorbid diseases, in particular, with osteoarthritis. Oxidative stress plays an important role in the formation and progression of osteoarthritis. Its development is associated with a violation of the oxidative-antioxidant balance. The aim of the work was to determine the indicators of the antioxidant system in the blood plasma of patients with OA after SARS-CoV-2 infection. All study participants were further divided into three experimental groups: Group I – conditionally healthy people, Group II – patients with OA of the knee joints of the II-III degree, and Group III – patients with OA of the knee joints of the II–III degree who suffered a mild or moderately severe form COVID-19 6–9 months ago. Superoxide dismutase and catalase activity and the content of sulfhydryl groups were determined by generally accepted biochemical methods. Processing of research results was carried out using generally accepted methods of variational statistics. It was found that the activity of anti-radical enzymes (superoxide dismutase and catalase) and the content of compounds containing SH-groups (of protein and non-protein nature) are reduced in the blood plasma of osteoarthritis patients who contracted COVID-19. The obtained results indicate a shift of the oxidant-antioxidant balance in the pro-oxidant direction. These disorders are more profound compared to patients with osteoarthritis who did not suffer from coronavirus infection. The results obtained by us indicate that patients with osteoarthritis may experience a more severe course of osteoarthritis and develop complications after infection with COVID-19.