Comparative Study of Antioxidant Enzyme Activities in Male and Female Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease in Sokoto State

Oxidative stress plays a central role in the pathogenesis and progression of chronic kidney disease, and sex-related differences in antioxidant enzyme defences in CKD patients may influence disease trajectory and prognosis. This study compares antioxidant enzyme activities in male and female patients with chronic kidney disease attending Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto State. Forty male and forty female CKD patients classified by eGFR below 60 millilitres per minute per 1.73 square metres, and thirty male and thirty female apparently healthy controls, were recruited. Serum and erythrocyte samples were analysed for superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities using standard spectrophotometric methods. Malondialdehyde as a lipid peroxidation marker was measured by the TBARS method. Total antioxidant capacity was determined by the DPPH reduction method. Results show significantly reduced SOD, CAT, and GPx activities and elevated MDA in all CKD patients compared to controls. Male CKD patients showed lower SOD and GPx activities compared to female CKD patients at equivalent CKD stages, while female patients showed lower catalase activity. MDA was significantly higher in male CKD patients than female patients across all stages. Total antioxidant capacity was more severely depleted in male patients. These sex-stratified differences in antioxidant response have implications for personalized clinical management of CKD and suggest that oxidative stress mitigation strategies may need to account for sex-based biochemical differences. Keywords: antioxidant enzymes, chronic kidney disease, oxidative stress, sex differences, Sokoto State.