Oxidative stress and antioxidant defense in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress is defined as a disturbance of balance between free radicals and antioxidant defense system. This study investigated oxidative stress in patients with chronic hepatitis B. METHODS: Sixty nine patients with chronic hepatitis B admitted to the Department of the Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology of Medical Faculty of Ondokuz Mayis University were enrolled into study. Twenty healthy persons were included as a control group. The study group was divided into three groups: healthy controls (group 1), chronic hepatitis B (group 2), and inactive hepatitis B carriers (group 3). Antioxidant status of plasma, including glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, vitamin E, and vitamin C levels were measured. Carbonyl and lipid peroxidation levels were measured as parameters of oxidative stress. RESULTS: Glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, vitamin E, and vitamin C levels were found to be significantly decreased in the chronic hepatitis B group when compared with the control group (9.5 vs. 13.8, p < 0.05; 22.98 vs. 32.4, p < 0.05; 15.1 vs. 16.4, p < 0.05; 12.9 vs. 18.4, p < 0.05, respectively). Carbonyl and lipid peroxidation levels were significantly increased in the chronic hepatitis B group compared to controls (0.7 vs. 0.5, p < 0.05; 2 vs. 0.7, p < 0.05, respectively). However, whereas the glutathione and carbonyl level correlation with HBV DNA levels were mild to moderate (glutathione vs. HBV DNA, r:-0.288, p < 0.05; carbonyl vs. HBV DNA, r:0.317, p < 0.05), the lipid peroxidation levels were strongly related with HBV DNA levels in chronic hepatitis B (r:0.545, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Oxidative stress was significantly increased in hepatitis B patients. Consequently, decreases were seen at the level of protective antioxidative parameters in the blood of these patients.

Effects of omeprazole and gentamicin on the biochemical and histopathological alterations of the hypoxia/ reoxygenation induced intestinal injury in newborn rats.

We utilized a newborn rat model of hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) that resembles human necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) to investigate the effects of omeprazole and/or gentamicin on the formation of free oxygen radicals (FOR) and bowel histopathology. For H/R, 1-day-old rats were placed into a chamber of 100% CO2 for 5 min, then they were reoxygenized for the next 5 min. The rats (n = 70) were divided into seven groups: group 1 (control), group 2 (H/R), group 3 (omeprazole), group 4 (H/R + omeprazole), group 5 (gentamicin), group 6 (H/R + gentamicin), group 7 (H/R + omeprazole + gentamicin). Gentamicin and/or omeprazole were given orally for 3 days, then all animals were killed; bowel specimens were harvested. Histopathologic injury scores (HIS) and malonyldialdehyde (MDA) and XO/(XO+XDH) rates (XO; xanthine oxidase, XDH; xanthine dehydrogenase) were measured, which reflect the FOR levels. In group 2, the HIS was significantly higher than groups 4 and 6. The mean MDA values in groups 1-7 were as follows: 54.16, 104.2, 56.85, 63.43, 62.31, 76.85, 79.13, respectively. The mean XO/(XO + XDH) levels were 0.306, 0.461, 0.286, 0.335, 0.323, 0.410, 0.375 from groups 1 -7, respectively. Group 2 rats had significantly more MDA and XO/(XO + XDH) rates versus other groups (P < 001). Histopathologic injury and biochemical results were significantly more severe in group 2 than in groups 4 and 6 (P < 001). There was no difference between groups 1 and 4 according to XO/(XO + XDH) rates. In newborn rats, H/R produces FOR, which cause serious intestinal damage. Omeprazole and/or gentamicin reduce biochemical and histopathologic bowel damage. This effect was more obvious in omeprazole treated rats. We think omeprazole may open new insights into the treatment of H/R related bowel injuries like NEC.