Abstract
Background: Vitamin C is a water-soluble chain-breaking antioxidant that has beneficial effects on lipid-metabolizing enzymes. In the present study, the level of thiobarbituric acid (TBA) substances and antioxidant enzymes such as catalase, superoxide dismutase ( SOD), glutathione peroxidase and glutathione-S-transferase were assayed. Methods: The level of TBA substances and antioxidant enzymes was determined in plasma and RBC hemolysates, respectively, in 60 postmenopausal women with breast cancer. Results: The data obtained from the study revealed that the levels of TBA and the antioxidant enzymes catalase, SOD, glutathine peroxidase and glutathine-S-transferse were significantly normalized by vitamin C treatment in the RBC hemolysate. Conclusion: The results compared vitamin C-treated breast cancer patients with normal individuals and showed that co-administration of vitamin C is more beneficial in breast cancer patients treated with tamoxifen. Copyright (C) 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel