title: Antioxidant supplementation attenuates oxidative stress in chronic hepatitis C patients.
abstract: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) overgeneration is involved in the pathogenesis of hepatitis C. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant status in the blood of HCV infected patients treated or not with standard therapy before and after supplementation of vitamins E, C and zinc. Biomarkers of oxidative stress were evaluated in the blood of three groups of patients: group 1 - controls; group 2 - HCV patients without treatment examined before and after a daily antioxidant supplementation (vitamin E 800 mg, C 500 mg and zinc 40 mg) for 6 months; and group 3 - HCV patients treated with pegylated interferon combined with ribavirin, also examined before and after the same antioxidant supplementation. Before antiviral treatment HCV patients showed enhanced superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities and decreased glutathione reductase activity, while lipoperoxidation was increased and reduced glutathione showed decreased levels compared to controls. Treatment with standard therapy enhanced the activities of catalase and glutathione S-transferase, increased contents of protein carbonyl and promoted further reduced glutathione depletion. After antioxidant supplementation, decreased catalase and glutathione S-transferase activities, decreased lipoperoxidation in group 2, and increased reduced glutathione contents in both supplemented groups were detected. Before antioxidant supplementation, alanine aminotransferase and gamma glutamyl transferase contents showed significant increases in group 2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Untreated HCV patients and also those treated with the standard therapy are coping with a systemic oxidative stress. The antioxidant supplementation conferred an antioxidant protection to both supplemented groups attenuating oxidation processes related to the disease.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ecologia e Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mirelle S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Farias
authors.forename: Patrícia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Budni
authors.forename: Carine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Eduardo B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Parisotto
authors.forename: Carla Eliete I
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Johnny Ferraz
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.forename: Eduardo M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Dalmarco
authors.forename: Tânia Silvia
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Fröde
authors.forename: Rozangela C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Pedrosa
authors.forename: Danilo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wilhelm Filho
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D002374:Catalase / Q000097:blood; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005980:Glutathione Reductase / Q000097:blood; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000097:blood; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000097:blood; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015032:Zinc / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014810:Vitamin E; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D012254:Ribavirin; D002374:Catalase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D005980:Glutathione Reductase; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase; D005982:Glutathione Transferase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; C417083:peginterferon alfa-2b; D015032:Zinc; D001205:Ascorbic Acid; C100416:peginterferon alfa-2a