Correspondence: B.D. Banerjee. Fax: + 91–11–2290495; E-mail: dbmi@ucms.ernet.in ISSN 0960-3123 printed/ISSN 1369-1619 online/00/040341-06 © 2000 Taylor & Francis Ltd DOI: 10.1080/0960312002001555 International Journal of Environmental Health Research 10, 341–346 (2000) TECHNICAL NOTE Evaluation of oxidative stress in some cases of argimone oil poisoning during a recent outbreak of epidemic dropsy in India B.D. BANERJEE 1 , VANDANA SETH 1 , B.C. KONER 2 , RAFAT S. AHMED 1 , MEENAKSHI SHARMA 3 , S.S. GROVER 3 , R.S. RAUTALA 3 , R. AVASTHI 4 and S.T. PASHA 3 1 Department of Biochemistry; University College of Medical Sciences and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, University of Delhi, Shahdara, Delhi 110095, India, 2 Department of Biochemistry, Jawharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Pondichery 605006, India, 3 Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, National Institute of Communicable Disease, 22 Shyamnath Marg, Delhi 110054, India, 4 Department of Medicine, University College of Medical Sciences and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, University of Dehli, Shahdara, Delhi 110095 India The study was designed to evaluate the oxidative stress and modulation of anti-oxidant enzymes in 10 accidental argimone oil poisoning cases admitted in a hospital in Delhi, India during a recent outbreak of epidemic dropsy in 1998. Serum malondialdehyde (MDA) level, oxygen free-radical scavenging enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), and glutathione (GSH) and related enzymes, e.g. glutahione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) in erythrocytes were assayed. The sanguinarine level in serum was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. The serum MDA level was higher and the GSH level in erythrocytes was lower in argimone oil poisioning cases than those in controls. There was a significant decrease in SOD and GPx activities in erythrocytes of epidemic dropsy cases but no changes were observed in CAT, GR and GST assay. The depletion of GSH in erythrocytes, serum MDA level and clinical severity were dependent on serum sanguinarine level. The results indicate that sanguinarine (argimone oil) poisoning creates an oxidative stress in humans. The oxidative stress and differential modulation of anti-oxidant enzymes by sanguinarine might play a pathogenic role in epidemic dropsy, which suggests the incorporation of anti-oxidant drugs in the treatment protocol of the disease. Keywords : human poisoning; lipid peroxidation; anti-oxidants; glutathione; sanguinarine; oxygen free- radical scavenging enzymes. Introduction Epidemic dropsy is a disease that occurs following consumption of edible oil contaminated accidentally or deliberately with argimone oil. The outbreak of epidemic dropsy has been reported several times from India and other countries. The recent epidemic during 1998 caused