Oxidative stress and antioxidant status in patients with alcoholic liver disease

Backround: Alcoholic liver diseases (ALD) are very common in lower socio-economical strata due to heavy drinking habits and multiple nutritional deficiencies. Ethanol causes liver damage by many mechanisms. The generation of lipid peroxidation by free radicals has been proposed as a mechanism for ethanol induced hepatotoxicity. These free radicals are destroyed by antioxidants. Many anti-oxidants are present in the diet, e.g., vitamin E, vitamin C etc. However, poor nutrition or malabsorption leads to deficiency of these vitamins. This may impair the anti-oxidative defense leading to ethanol induced oxidative stress and then to liver damage. Methods: Oxidative stress and antioxidant defense were assessed in patients with alcoholic liver disease. Serum malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations were measured as an index of lipid peroxidation, i.e., oxidative stress; and serum vitamins E and C concentrations were measured as an index of antioxidant status. Results: Serum MDA concentrations were increased with the increase in severity of the disease. Concentrations of serum vitamins E and C were decreased in patients with alcoholic liver disease as compared to controls. Conclusions: Our observations may be due to increased demands of the same or increased utilization. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.