Protective effects of tiopronin against oxidative stress in severely burned patients

Abstract

Objective

Tiopronin is an antioxidant. This study investigated the protective effect of tiopronin on oxidative stress in patients with severe burns.

Method

Patients aged between 16 and 65 years old with >30% body surface area burns admitted to our burn unit from July 2011 to September 2016 were randomly divided into 3 groups: group A treated with tiopronin (15 mg/kg. 24 hrs), group B with vitamin C (792 mg/kg. 24 hrs), the other group with standard treatment (group C). All 3 groups also received standard treatment. Blood superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), and the biochemical indexes of liver, kidney, and heart were determined before treatment and 24 and 48 hrs after treatment. Samples from 8 normal healthy adult volunteers were also measured. The resuscitation fluid volume requirement for the first 24 hrs was calculated for 3 groups.

Results

The serum levels of MDA and the biochemical indexes in severely burned patients were higher than those in healthy volunteers (P<0.01). The serum SOD level of burn patients was lower (P<0.01). After treatment, the levels of SOD increased, the levels of MDA decreased, and the biochemical indexes of heart, liver, and kidney improved; these changes were more obvious in group A and group B compared to group C (P<0.05), and these changes were more obvious in group A compared to group B (P<0.05) at 48 hrs after treatment. There is less resuscitation fluid volume requirement to maintain adequate stable hemodynamic and urine output in the first 24 hrs in group A and group B compared to group C (P<0.05).

Conclusion

Treatment with tiopronin could exert protective effects against burn-induced oxidative tissue damage and multiple-organ dysfunction, and also could reduce the volume of required fluid resuscitation in severely burned patients.

Keywords:

• burn
• oxygen free radical
• oxidative stress
• tiopronin
• vitamin C
• severely burned patients

Ethical statement

All procedures were performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki of the World Medical Association. The study was approved by the ethics committee of Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Beijing, China. This written consent for the study was obtained from the patients.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.