Thioredoxin Levels in the Sera of Untreated Viral Hepatitis Patients and Those Treated with Glycyrrhizin or Ursodeoxycholic Acid

Thioredoxin (TRX), a thiol-containing protein, is induced by various oxidative stresses. Serum TRX measured with a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit in 210 hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients, 39 hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients, and 17 healthy volunteers. The effects of hepatoprotective drugs on TRX levels were also examined. The median TRX levels were significantly higher in HCV-infected patients than in controls (34.2 vs. 23.5 ng/ml, respectively; p < 0.005), but were not elevated in HBV-infected patients (26.7 ng/ml). The TRX levels were significantly correlated with serum lipid peroxide levels and indocyanine green exclusion test values, and were markedly decreased following treatment with Stronger Neo-Minophagen C or ursodeoxycholic acid. In conclusion serum TRX levels, a marker of oxidative stress, were higher in patients with HCV infection than those with H B V infection and healthy controls. The therapeutic efficacy of hepatoprotective drugs may be connected with the decrease in oxidative stress in hepatitis patients. Antiox. Redox Signal. 2, 687-694.