Red Cell Superoxide Dismut Ase in Patients with Different Liver Diseases

Superoxide dismutase (SODs, superoxide oxidoreductase, E.C. 1.15.1.1.) activity has been estimated in red blood cells from patients suffering from liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Erythrocytes supcroxide dismutase activity from patients with liver cirrhosis was found to be significantly higher than normal, while its activity was not significantly raised in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. These observations reflect overproduction Dux of superoxidc radical (0 2) which leads to increased SOD activity. If the liver tissues reach the hepatocellular carcinoma stage subsequent damage of mitochondrial membranes, a lack of 0 2 production occurs, therefore a lack of mitochondrial enzymes, including SOD occurs. Accordingly, the assay of SOD can be used to follow-up malignant transformation of liver tissues. INTRODUCTION The recent advances in immunology provided important information for the characterization of different liver disorders. However, enzyme assay is another area of progress in liver disorders. The interest in the study of enzyme marker is not only due to technical improvements but also to the involvement of enzyme assay which combines traditional and the more recently developed tcchinqucs in liver diseases. Superoxide dismutases (SODs) arc a family of enzymes which their substrate is unstable toxic free radical produced as a by333 product of oxidative metabolism. These enzymes protect cells by catalyzing the dismutation of the superoxide radical (02) to hydrogen peroxide (H2 02) (1).