title: Altered oxidative stress/antioxidant status in blood of alcoholic subjects is associated with alcoholic liver disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Oxidative stress is implicated in pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease (ALD). This study investigated the possible correlation among the erythrocyte indices of oxidative stress, the leukocyte panels of antioxidant proteins (metallothioneins), the serum biochemical parameters and the liver steatosis grade.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 118 cases including 60 alcoholic subjects and 58 controls were enrolled. All the alcoholic subjects were screened for body mass index (BMI), liver steatosis, and blood chemistry and serology. The level of oxidative stress and oxidative stress-related parameters were measured in the blood and correlated with clinical findings.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Alcoholic subjects showed higher BMI, moderate/severe hepatic steatosis, increase in the levels of triglycerides, cholesterol, glucose, γ-glutamyl-transpeptidase (GGT), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), bilirubin, alpha 1 and beta 2 globulins, iron and a decrease in the levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and beta 1 globulin with respect to the reference values. Moreover, alcoholic subjects showed: (i) an increase in Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substance (TBARS) content representing a good estimation of global oxidative stress; (ii) a stimulation of the activities of the antioxidant enzymes catalase and SOD; (iii) a modulation of expression of metallothioneins, with a down-regulation of MT-1A and an up-regulation of MT-1E isoforms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that alcoholism is strongly associated with altered pattern of blood metallothioneins; this parameter combined with the score calculated by an ad hoc implemented algorithm (HePaTest) could offer a non-invasive alternative approach for evaluating alcohol-related damages and could be used in follow-up of alcoholic patients.
authors.affiliation: DISTAV, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell'Ambiente e della Vita, Università di Genova, Corso Europa 26, 16132, Genova, Italy; INBB, Istituto Nazionale Biostrutture e Biosistemi, Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Grasselli
authors.affiliation: DISTAV, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell'Ambiente e della Vita, Università di Genova, Corso Europa 26, 16132, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Compalati
authors.affiliation: DISTAV, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell'Ambiente e della Vita, Università di Genova, Corso Europa 26, 16132, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Voci
authors.affiliation: DISTAV, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell'Ambiente e della Vita, Università di Genova, Corso Europa 26, 16132, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vecchione
authors.affiliation: DISTAV, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell'Ambiente e della Vita, Università di Genova, Corso Europa 26, 16132, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ragazzoni
authors.affiliation: DISTAV, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell'Ambiente e della Vita, Università di Genova, Corso Europa 26, 16132, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gallo
authors.affiliation: Centro Alcologico Regionale Ligure- IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Borro
authors.affiliation: Centro Alcologico Regionale Ligure- IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sumberaz
authors.affiliation: Centro Alcologico Regionale Ligure- IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Testino
authors.affiliation: DISTAV, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell'Ambiente e della Vita, Università di Genova, Corso Europa 26, 16132, Genova, Italy; INBB, Istituto Nazionale Biostrutture e Biosistemi, Roma, Italy. Electronic address: laura.vergani@unige.it.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vergani
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008875:Middle Aged; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D014463:Ultrasonography; D015854:Up-Regulation; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D008668:Metallothionein
keywords: Alcohol abuse; Antioxidant enzymes; Blood oxidative stress; Liver steatosis; Metallothionein