Abstract

Objectives: Verifying in SLE patients whether antioxidant supplementation with pequi oil capsules could reduce oxidative DNA damage and inflammation in SLE patients. Patients and Methods: A controlled randomized, crossover, double-blind study was conducted with 38 SLE patients aged 18 to 60, with SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) below 10, chosen from 73 lupus patients consecutively seen in the University Hospital of Brasília (HUB) Rheumatology Clinic. They were randomized into two groups: one group of 22 patients received one placebo capsule per day for 60 consecutive days, and the other 16 patients received one 400 mg pequi oil in capsule per day over the same period. There was a 60-day wash-out, and then the patients switched groups: those who had received pequi oil received placebo and vice versa, also for 60 consecutive days. We collected blood, urine, anthropometric and social data from patients before and after each period, totaling four collections. Results: Twenty-nine women finished this clinical trial. The mean age was 33.66 years, the mean BMI was 24.1 kg/m2 and the mean disease duration was 7.8 years. The irreversible damage index of the disease and the SLEDAI had no influence on DNA damage index (DDI). A correlation was found between DDI and HDL (r = −0.414, p = 0.029). A significant difference was detected in the average rate of DDI between physical activity practitioners and non-practitioners (p = 0.045) and between users and non-users of vitamin D (p = 0.006). Moreover, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) fell significantly after treatment with pequi oil (p = 0.0161). Conclusions: Although pequi oil did not significantly reduce the DNA damage index, it effectively reduced hs-CRP levels in these patients, indicating reduced inflammation with the use of antioxidant supplementation. Furthermore, the practice of physical activity and the use of vitamin D in patients with SLE could have an independent antioxidant effect.

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