Blood micronutrient, oxidative stress, and viral load in patients with chronic hepatitis C

Abstract

Abstract Abstract Abstract AIM:To assess the extent of micronutrient and oxidative stress in blood and to examine their linkages with viral loads in chronic hepatitis C patients. METHODS:Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-RNA levels were quantified in the serum from 37 previously untreated patients with chronic hepatitis C. The plasma and erythrocyte micronutrients (zinc, selenium, copper, and iron) were estimated, and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents were determined as a marker to detect oxidative stress. Antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and glutathione reductase (GR) activities in blood were also measured. The control group contained 31 healthy volunteers. RESULTS:The contents of zinc (Zn), and selenium (Se) in plasma and erythrocytes were significantly lower in hepatitis C patients than in the controls. On the contrary, copper (Cu) levels were significantly higher. Furthermore, plasma and erythrocyte MDA levels, and the SOD and GR activities in erythrocytes significantly increased in hepatitis C patients compared to the controls. However, the plasma GPX activity in patients was markedly lower. Plasma Se (r = -0.730, P<0.05), Cu (r = 0.635), and GPX (r = -0.675) demonstrated correlations with HCV-RNA loads. Significant correlation coefficients were also observed between HCV-RNA levels and erythrocyte Zn (r = -0.403), Se (r = -0.544), Cu (r = 0.701) and MDA (r = 0.629) and GR (r = 0.441). CONCLUSION:The levels of Zn, Se, Cu, and oxidative stress (MDA), as well as related anti-oxidative enzymes (GR and GPX) in blood have important impact on the viral factors in chronic hepatitis C. The distribution of these parameters might be significant biomarkers for HCV.

Chronic Hepatitis C: Quantitative EPR Analysis of Nitrogen Oxide and Copper in Patients’ Blood

“…Hence, comparison of our results of NO and Cu measurements in the blood of CVHC patients with the findings of other studies, in which NO and Cu were measured by other than EPR methodological approaches [1,[3][4][5][6], showed their coincidence: the levels of NO and CU in whole blood of CVHC patients was increased significantly in comparison with the normal level. This suggests the use of quantitative EPR analysis for direct measurements of nitroxide and copper in biological substrates.…”

The Relationship Between Serum Selenium Concentration and Neutrophil Function in Peripheral Blood

“…Hence, demographic factors such as gender and lifestyle could be adjusted. (2) The ROS production by neutrophils was measured without a phagocytic stimulus, and hence our results revealed the relationship between Se concentration and neutrophil-derived oxidative stress. (3) We investigated not only the neutrophil ROS production but also the other 2 functions of PA and SOA simultaneously.…”

“…Se refers to relative factors of oxidative stress associated with diseases such as cancer, infectious disease, and heart disease [1][2][3][4][5]. Se is contained in the active center of enzymes that reduce the reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), which has been reported to have an anti-oxidative effect and prevent cancer [6,7].…”

Roles of oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress in selenium deficiency-induced apoptosis in chicken liver

“…The study of Fischer showed that the liver contains a high concentration of Se, which participates in many biological processes that range from cellular antioxidant defense to the protection and repair of DNA to apoptosis (Fischer et al 2006). Se deficiency could induce liver necrosis in rats (Matsuda et al 1998), hepatosis dietetica in pigs (Doyle et al 2011), oxidative damage in the livers of patients with HCV-related CLD (Ko et al 2005) and apoptosis in rat livers (Miao et al 2013). …”