Investigation of oxidative stress and some antioxidants in patients with acute and chronic viral hepatitis B and the effect of interferon-alpha treatment.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of the study was to determine oxidative stress in patients with acute and chronic viral hepatitis B.


METHODS
23 (11 F, 12 M) healthy controls, 23 (8 F, 15 M) patients with acute viral hepatitis B (AVHB) and 25 (9 F, 16 M) patients with chronic viral hepatitis B (CVHB) were studied. Serum malondialdehyde (MDA), conjugated dienes (CD), ALT, AST, total and direct bilirubins, beta-carotene and whole blood reduced glutathione (GSH) levels of all subjects were measured. In patients with CVHB, these parameters were measured both before and 6 months after treatment with interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha).


RESULTS
MDA, CD, ALT, AST and total and direct bilirubin levels of the patients with AVHB and CVHB before treatment were significantly higher (P<0.001) whereas GSH and beta-carotene levels were lower (P<0.001) than those of the controls. MDA, CD, GSH, beta-carotene, ALT, AST and total and direct bilirubin levels of the patients with CVHB returned approximately to normal levels 6 months after treatment with IFN-alpha.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results clearly show that patients with AVHB and CVHB are under the influence of increased oxidative stress (MDA and CD were increased) associated with lower levels of some antioxidants (beta-carotene and GSH). These impairments return to normal levels after IFN-alpha treatment of CVHB patients. These findings suggest that antioxidant supplementation might be considered in patients with acute or chronic hepatitis B.
Dikici
Ismail
I
Meram Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, University of Selcuk, Konya, Turkey.
Mehmetoglu
Idris
I
Dikici
Nebahat
N
Bitirgen
Mehmet
M
Kurban
Sevil
S
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000466:Alkadienes / Q000097:blood; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000032:analysis*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005978:Glutathione / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000097:blood; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D019207:beta Carotene / Q000097:blood
D000466:Alkadienes; D000975:Antioxidants; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D019207:beta Carotene; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D005978:Glutathione