Evaluation of oxidative metabolism in children with adhd before and after methylphenidate treatment

Objective: There are some researches about the role of oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD). In this study, we aimed to evaluate effects of methylphenidate(MPH) treatment on oxidative metabolism in patients with ADHD. Method: 30 patients diagnosed as ADHD according to DSM-5 and 30 healthy controls enrolled into the study. Serum total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS) and oxidative stress index (OSI) measurements were done in biochemistry laboratory of Gaziantep University. Results: When TAS and OSI levels were compared between pre-treatment and control group; TAS level was significantly lower in the patient group, OSI level was significantly higher in the patient group (p=0,047 and p=0,010 respectively). There was not significant differences of TOS level between two groups(p=0,060). When TAS, TOS and OSI levels were compared between post-treatment and control group; there were not significant differences between two groups (p=0,053, p=0,888 and p=0,315 respectively). When TOS level was compared between pre-treatment and post-treatment; TOS level was significantly higher in the pre-treatment(p=0,032). There were no statistically significant differences in plasma TAS and OSI levels between the pre-treatment and post-treatment(p=0,894 and p=0,074 respectively). Conclusion: Oxidative metabolism was found to be impaired in children with ADHD in our study. It was also determined that methylphenidate repairs the oxidative balance by decreasing TOS level.