Correction of oxidative stress with glutathione-based agents in women with hyperproliferative diseases living in radiation-contaminated areas: A prospective study

Background. Women living in the territories of the Russian Federation contaminated with radionuclides as a result of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant are exposed to a complex of environmental, psychological, and socio-economic factors. The high prevalence of hyperproliferative diseases (HPD) reported in this population may be due to, among other things, the oxidative stress, which initiates carcinogenesis. In these settings, the search for drugs that adjust the antioxidant system can be not only an effective strategy for non-hormonal accompanying therapy, but also the key to the pathogenetic prevention of malignant neoplasms. Aim. To study the effectiveness of liposomal glutathione in the correction of oxidative stress in women living in radiation-contaminated areas and the possibility of its use in the supportive therapy of HPD of the reproductive system and thyroid gland. Materials and methods. The study included 25 women living in radionuclide-contaminated areas of the Russian Federation with HPD of the reproductive system and thyroid gland: benign mammary dysplasia, adenomyosis, uterine fibroids, chronic autoimmune thyroiditis, etc. All patients received supportive therapy with liposomal glutathione (Smartlife LLC) at 150 mg daily for 60 days. During the therapy, the clinical and radiological change of the pathological process, as well as indicators of the oxidative system of the body – malonic dialdehyde and general antioxidative activity – were studied. Results. It was shown that during the therapy with the drug, in the blood plasma, there was a decrease in elevated concentrations of the oxidative stress marker, malonic dialdehyde (p=0.000036), and an increase in total antioxidant activity (p=0.022), which was associated with a decrease in the number of cases of chronic autoimmune thyroiditis (p=0.021), diffuse benign mammary dysplasia (p0.001), as well as partial regression of internal endometriosis (p0.001). Conclusion. The use of liposomal glutathione in women with combined thyroid and breast diseases, with and without estrogen-dependent gynecological diseases, contributed to a decrease in the level of inflammation, which led to a favorable treatment outcome. The data obtained show the prospects of further research to assess the effectiveness of such universal antioxidants in cases of oxidative stress: involutive changes, obesity, adverse environmental conditions, chronic anovulatory conditions, persistent infection of the human papillomavirus, chronic stress, etc.