Serum levels of non-enzymatic antioxidants in female dementia patients with respect to the degree of cognitive impairment

The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between the severity of cognitive impairment in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VD) and the serum antioxidant status of uric acid (UA), albumin (ALB) and bilirubin (BIL) in female patients. The cross-sectional study included 90 subjects, aged ≥65, divided into three groups: 30 patients with AD, 30 patients with VD and 30 control subjects. For cognitive assessment, all participants underwent the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Serum concentrations of ALB, UA and BIL were determined spectrophotometrically. The AD patients had a significant decrease of UA and increase of serum BIL. Upon stratification according to the degree of cognitive impairment, lower UA concentrations were found in patients with severe cognitive impairment, whereas increased BIL was found in patients with moderate cognitive impairment. Patients with VD were characterized by hypoalbuminemia and upon stratification this finding was evident among patients with severe cognitive impairment. The MoCA score correlated positively with BIL in AD patients. The obtained data supports the protective role of serum antioxidants in the pathogenesis of dementia. Further on, we suggest further longitudinal research to confirm the combined use of these parameters as potential biomarkers in AD and VD.