Lipofuscin product accumulation, insufficient antioxidant defence in erythrocytes and plasma and enhanced susceptibility to oxidative haemolysis after thermal trauma.

The mechanism of increased susceptibility of red blood cells to oxidative haemolysis in the early post-burn period remains unclear. In this study it was revealed that the accumulation of lipofuscin products in red blood cells was accompanied by the elevation of oxidative haemolysis on the 24th hour after thermal trauma of rats (full thickness skin, on 20% of TBSA). Enhanced thiobarbituric acid reactive substrates (TBARS) and lowered levels of antioxidants such as alpha-tocopherol, ceruloplasmin and albumin were found in plasma. The activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the concentration of alpha-tocopherol and reduced glutathione (GSH) in erythrocytes were also diminished. The results from this study suggest that plasma and intracellular antioxidant deficiency can potentiate oxidative membrane damage. There was a positive correlation (r = 0.72) between increased levels of lipofuscin products and oxidative haemolysis of red blood cells. The enhanced susceptibility of erythrocytes to oxidative haemolysis may be considered as an indirect but sensitive indicator of the impaired antioxidant defence of these blood cells following thermal skin injury. The decreased resistance of red blood cell to oxidative haemolysis under the conditions of reduced antioxidant defence of erythrocytes and blood plasma suggests that adequate antioxidant therapy could prevent all these complications after thermal skin injury.