Plasma catalase, glutathione-s-transferase and total antioxidant activity levels of children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder

Objective: In this study, we plan to measure plasma Catalase (CAT), Antioxidant Activity (AOA) and Glutathione-S-Transferase (GST) levels to understand whether oxidative stress develops or not and whether or not the detoxification mechanism properly functions in children with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with unknown etiology and pathogenesis. Method and Results: Plasma CAT, AOA, and GST activities were spectrophotometrically measured in forty patients (average age 10.27 ± 2.54) and thirty-five (average age, 9.97 ± 2.59) healthy individuals as the control group. While the CAT activity showed no difference in the patient group (P > 0.05) compared to the control group, AOA and GST levels were found significantly meaningful (P = 0.001). Conclusion: In this pilot study, the study shows that no oxidative stress develops in individuals with ADHD in high AOA and stable CAT activity, and that the detoxification mechanism functions extremely in high GST activity. These findings need to be supported by other studies.