Abstract
The advantages of measuring hepatic oxidative status in liver biopsy are that it helps in diagnosis of hepatic dysfunction, reflects the degree of deterioration in the liver tissues, and helps to determine the severity of hepatic injury. We aimed to study the oxidative stress state in children with chronic hepatitis by using indirect approach in which antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase (GPX), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) are determined in the liver tissue. The present study included 21 children and adolescents (12 males, 9 females) suffering from chronic hepatitis. Patients were selected from the Hepatology Clinic, New Children’s Hospital, Cairo University from November 2006 till 2009 and compared with a group of 7 children who happened to have incidental normal liver biopsy. Children with chronic hepatitis had mean age 8.12 ± 1.15 years. It was further subdivided into 2 subgroups: chronic viral heaptitis (n = 13) and cryptogenic hepatitis (n = 8). GPX, SOD and CAT levels were measured in fresh liver tissue (cell free homogenates) using ELISA. In chronic hepatitis group; there was a significant increase in the hepatic GPX activity (38.59 ± 35.82 nmol/min/ml) as compared to the control group (10.62 ± 6.68 nmol/min/ml). Also a significant correlation was observed between SOD and both ALT (r = 0.87, p < 0.05) and AST (r = 0.74, p < 0.05). GPX correlated with ALT (r = 0.80, p < 0.05) level in the chronic viral hepatitis subgroup. Our findings suggest that oxidative stress could play a role in the pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis. These preliminary results are encouraging to conduct more extensive clinical studies combining antioxidant therapy with various treatments.
Highlights
The involvement of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of hepatic dysfunction in human [1,2,3,4,5] has been investigated for many years
We aimed to study the oxidative stress state in children with chronic hepatitis by using indirect approach in which antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase (GPX), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) are determined in the liver tissue
Our findings suggest that oxidative stress could play a role in the pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis
Summary
The involvement of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of hepatic dysfunction in human [1,2,3,4,5] has been investigated for many years. Oxidative stress results when reactive forms of oxygen are produced faster than they can be safely neutralized by antioxidant mechanisms and/or from a decrease in antioxidant defense, which may lead to damage of biological macromolecules and disruption of normal metabolism and physiology [5]. This condition can contribute and/or lead to the onset of health disorders and play a damaging role in a number of liver disorders [5]. Increased lipid peroxidation may be caused by inflammation related to viral infection and decreased antioxidant levels. Previous studies have demonstrated an increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and decrease of the antioxidant capacity in acute and chronic hepatitis [2,5]
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