Methods for Diagnosing and Treating Medical Conditions Associated With Oxidative Stress

Abstract

Non-mercaptalbumin-2 is used as a biomarker for diagnosing a medical condition associated with oxidative stress. A method for diagnosing a condition associated with oxidative stress includes determining the redox state of albumin at the cysteine residue at sequence position 34; quantifying the level of non-mercaptalbumin-2 present, non-mercaptalbumin-2 representing the albumin fraction irreversibly oxidized at cysteine 34; and comparing the result to a control level, wherein an elevated level of non-mercaptalbumin-2 as compared to the control level is indicative of the condition associated with oxidative stress. A method for the prevention and/or treatment of a medical condition associated with oxidative stress includes quantifying a level of non-mercaptalbumin-2 that is elevated as compared to a control, wherein such elevated level of non-mercaptalbumin-2 is indicative of the condition associated with oxidative stress; and restoring a control level of albumin by removing excess nonmercaptalbumin-2 and/or exogenously adding albumin.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.