Red blood cell anti-oxidant parameters in silicosis.

The anti-oxidant phenotype was determined in red blood cells and plasma of a group of male control subjects (n = 48) and a number of silicosis patients (n = 19). Haemoglobin, reduced and oxidized glutathione, glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase were determined in red blood cells after haemolysis. In plasma, water soluble fluorescent substances were determined as a measure of in vivo lipid peroxidation. A significant increase in red blood cell glutathione was observed in silicosis patients. Moreover, some factors of the anti-oxidant system are strongly correlated in the diseased, but not in the healthy subjects. We hypothesize that individual susceptibility differences towards the development of silicosis after prolonged inhalation of silica is associated with a genetically controlled anti-oxidant phenotype.