Effect of Oral Administration of Dietary Antioxidant Supplements in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C

Abstract

In a prospective, randomized and single-blinded clinical trial, we compared patients with Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) orally treated with sucrose diluted with water (1:2) twice a day for 56 days (control group), with patients orally treated with four antioxidant dietary supplements rich in vitamin B5, B9, C, D, citric, pyruvic, and tartaric acids and carbohydrates (CCEP: Citexivir, Citozym, Ergozym Plus and Propulzym). The efficacy of treatment was evaluated once a week for 8 weeks, by monitoring changes in the activities of circulating Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) as markers of liver damage. After a treatment of 84 days the viral title was evaluated through the HCV-RNA compared with the levels of anti-C100-3. The security and tolerability of the treatment were evaluated on the basis of clinical adverse events and results of laboratory tests. The experimental data obtained showed that the oral treatment of patients suffering from HCV infection of genotype 1, with CCEP, markedly influenced the values of the three enzymatic markers of hepatic disease. The data presented also showed the reduction of viral replication evidenced by the rate of HCV-RNA levels. As reported by others, we confirmed the low reliability of the research of anti-C100-3. This research is not meant to suggest the treatment reported as a therapy for the treatment of HCV infection, but data obtained may tend towards the possibility of administration of a dietary supplement such as CCEP in support of the official drug therapy of CHC in the nutritional care of HCV patients.