Changes in lipid peroxide levels in the plasma of patients with thermal skin injuries.

Free radicals may be involved in various human disease processes. Cutaneous edema and acute pulmonary damage of thermal injury mediated by oxygen free radicals can be monitored by studying the levels of lipid peroxidation in blood plasma. In this study, we investigated lipid peroxidation induced by human skin burns. The subjects included 14 healthy subjects and eight burn patients. Healthy subjects included nine males and five females, aged 50.5 +/- 19.1 years. The burn patients included seven males and one female, aged 46.9 +/- 19.1 years, who had burns over 45.6% +/- 14.0% of their total body surface area. Plasma lipoperoxides were measured by high performance liquid chromatographic separation of malondialdehyde-thiobarbituric acid adduct. The average plasma lipoperoxide concentration (measured as malondialdehyde) of the 14 healthy subjects was 0.72 +/- 0.18 mumol/L. This concentration increased significantly (p < 0.0013) in the eight burn patients to a 3.75 +/- 1.34 mumol/L (peak level). Plasma lipoperoxides increased in the first few hours postburn. Plasma lipid peroxide peak levels were found on the third day postburn in 75% of burn patients. Moreover, patients with inhalation injuries had higher plasma lipid peroxide levels (5.27 +/- 5.30 mumol/L) than those without inhalation injury (2.84 +/- 2.88 mumol/L). These results suggest that both oxygen free radicals and lipid peroxidation play a major role in the injuries caused by skin burns and related inhalation [corrected].