title: The antioxidant status of patients with either alcohol-induced liver damage or myopathy.
abstract: The antioxidant status of alcoholic patients was assessed by direct measurement of the plasma antioxidants alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene and of selenium as a marker of glutathione peroxidase. Overall, the alcoholic group showed significant decreases in the mean plasma values of beta-carotene, zinc and selenium when compared to the control subjects. When the patients were subdivided according to their liver histology, beta-carotene showed a progressive decrease in plasma concentration with increasing liver damage, whereas alpha-tocopherol levels were only depleted in the patients with cirrhosis. There were significant decreases in the plasma concentrations of both alpha-tocopherol and selenium in all patients with alcoholic skeletal muscle myopathy, whereas patients with normal muscle biopsies showed adequate antioxidant status. Such results support a role for free radical-mediated damage in end organ injury, particularly myopathy, in alcohol misusers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Biochemistry, King's College School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, U.K.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Peters
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000032:analysis*; D001706:Biopsy; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000097:blood; D005235:Fatty Liver, Alcoholic / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008104:Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic / Q000097:blood; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000097:blood*; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009132:Muscles / Q000473:pathology; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D012643:Selenium / Q000097:blood; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000097:blood; D019207:beta Carotene
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D019207:beta Carotene; D014801:Vitamin A; D014810:Vitamin E; D002338:Carotenoids; D012643:Selenium