Assessment of the serum paraoxonase activity and oxidant/antioxidant status in patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis

OBJECTIVES: Several studies have indicated that recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is associated with oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to investigate serum paraoxonase (PON) activity and oxidant/antioxidant status in patients with RAS. DESIGN AND METHODS: Thirty-one patients with RAS and 31 healthy controls were enrolled. Serum PON1 and arylesterase activities, total antioxidant capacity, total oxidant status, and oxidative stress index were determined. RESULTS: Serum total antioxidant capacity levels, PON1, and arylesterase activities were significantly lower in RAS than controls (P < 0.001), while total oxidant status levels and oxidative stress index were significantly higher (P < 0.001). PON1 activity had a significant correlation with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol only (r = 0.482, P < 0.05), while there were no correlations with other lipids (P > 0.05) in patients with RAS. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that RAS is associated with decreased PON1 activity and increased oxidative stress that plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of RAS. Further studies on a larger number of patients are needed to verify these results.