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One of many risk factors for cardiovascular disease appears to be oxidative stress. To estimate possible changes in redox balance, membrane fluidity, and cholesterol level in erythrocytes was collected erythrocytes from patients diagnosed with coronary artery disease (CAD). The study included 20 patients with previous myocardial infarction occurring more than 6 months prior to the time of screening with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) >70 mg/dL and 21 healthy controls. The following parameters were studied: catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), thiobarbituric acid reactive substrates (TBARS), sulfhydryl (SH) groups in membrane protein, total cholesterol level, and erythrocyte membrane fluidity. Our study showed an increase in the level of lipid peroxidation (13%) and total cholesterol (19%), and a decrease in membrane fluidity (14%) in the subsurface layers and in the deeper layers of erythrocyte membrane (7%) isolated from patients with CAD in comparison to healthy controls. A significant decrease in catalase (10%) and SOD (17%) activities were also observed. No changes in GPx activity or the level of SH groups were observed. Our study indicates that there are disorders in the antioxidant system as well as changes in the membrane structure of erythrocytes obtained from CAD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]