title: Blood serum glutathione alpha s-transferase (alpha GST) activity during antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Glutathione transferases (GST) belong to enzymes involved primarily in the processes of detoxification of exo- and endogenous substances. Immunohistochemical studies have demonstrated that alpha-GST present in the liver is localized exclusively in hepatocytes. The activity of alpha-GST is reported to reflect interstitial liver damage better than that of aminotransferases, especially in patients with autoimmune hepatitis, and, according to some authors, also in patients with chronic hepatitis C. The GST system has also been proposed to be indirectly involved in hepatocellular damage due to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Was to assess the utility of alpha-GST as an accessory marker in monitoring antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
  
  
  METHODS
  21 patients (12 males and 9 females) with chronic HCV infections were evaluated. The diagnosis was based on clinical presentation and detection of anti-HCV, as well as the presence of HCV-RNA in blood serum detected by PCR. Fifteen patients (group I) were treated with interferon alpha-2b (IFN alpha-2b) at 3 MU s.c. doses administered three times a week (tiw) and ribavirin at 0.8 do 1.2 g/day doses, whereas 6 remaining patients (Group II) were treated with IFN alpha-2b alone at 5 MU s.c. tiw doses. The activity of alpha GST was determined with ELISA before and after 6 months of treatment, together with assessment of HCV-RNA viremia determining the decision concerning continuation of the therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results are presented in Table 1 as mean values +/- SD. *p, 0.05.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Combined antiviral treatment with IFN alpha-2b and ribavirin, and IFN alpha-2b monotherapy reduce blood serum alpha-GST activity in patients with chronic hepatitis C. alpha-GST is less useful as a liver damage parameter than ALT in monitoring of antiviral treatment.
authors.affiliation: Silesian Medical University, Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Włodzimierz
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mazur
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gonciarz
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kajdy
authors.forename: Urszula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Mazurek
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jurzak
authors.forename: Tadeusz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wilczok
authors.forename: Zbigniew
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gonciarz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000097:blood*; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012254:Ribavirin; D005982:Glutathione Transferase