Antioxidant defense and oxidative stress in children with acute hepatitis A

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:Published data on oxidative stress in children with acute hepatitis A are still very scarce. This study aims to evaluate the oxidant/antioxidant status of these patients.DESIGN AND SETTING:Prospective, case-control study, over 2.5 years in patients under hospitalized and ambulatory care.PATIENTS AND METHODS:The levels of a whole-blood antioxidant, reduced glutathione; and plasma antioxidants, β-carotene, retinol, ascorbic acid, α-tocopherol; and the biomarker of oxidative stress, malondialdehyde, were evaluated in 50 pediatric patients (age range, 5-16 years; 29 males and 21 females) with acute hepatitis A and in 50 healthy children as control subjects (age range, 5-16 years; 25 males and 25 females).RESULTS:Plasma levels of reduced glutathione, β-carotene, retinol, α-tocopherol and ascorbic acid were significantly lower, while malondialdehyde plasma levels were significantly increased in the patient group when compared to the controls (P<.0001 for all parameters).CONCLUSIONS:Our findings show that pediatric patients with acute hepatitis A were influenced by oxidative stress, resulting in significantly lower levels of plasma antioxidants and increased lipid peroxidation. In the absence of other therapeutic options, antioxidant vitamin supplements could be added to the therapy for these patients to help reestablish the oxidant status balance. Further investigations to confirm this suggestion are recommended.

Determination of Total Oxidative Stress and Total Antioxidant Capacity before and after the Treatment of Iron-Deficiency Anemia

“…It was determined that pro‐oxidant/antioxidant imbalance can cause oxidative damage on cellular molecules. Additionally, oxidative stress was related to cardiovascular, infectious diseases, cancer, diabetes mellitus, and neurodegenerative pathologies . In different childhood diseases, many biochemical tests measuring the oxidative status, TOS and TAC were shown to be practical, inexpensive, and reliable .…”

The Role of Glutathione in Selected Viral Diseases

“…In old patients with chronic hepatitis, at the beginning of the disease, a marked depletion of GSH is observed [117]. Additionally, Cemek et al [145] and Popovic-Dragonjic et al [146] found decreased GSH levels in children with chronic hepatitis.…”

Mitochondrial changes associated with viral infectious diseases in the paediatric population

“…The main sources of ROS in hepatocytes in acute or chronic disease are mitochondria and cytochrome P450 enzymes. Oxidative stress, as the consequence of increased intracellular ROS concentrations, can be reduced by antioxidants, such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E and reduced glutathione 171,198 …”

“…Oxidative stress, as the consequence of increased intracellular ROS concentrations, can be reduced by antioxidants, such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E and reduced glutathione. 171 , 198 …”