Volume: I: Issue-3: Nov-Dec -2010 ISSN 0976-4550 IMBALANCE OF OXIDANTS AND ANTIOXIDANT SYSTEMS IN SUBJECTS WITH CIRRHOSIS

Oxidative stress has been increasingly implicated in the pathogenesis of cirrhosis. Ethanol and various viral infections will increase the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the liver, resulting in an imbalance between oxidants and antioxidants. Thus determination of oxidants along with antioxidants,stated the role of oxidative stress more accurately in the pathogenesis of liver cirrhosis. In the present study we measured the markers of prooxidants, erythrocyte malondialdehyde (MAD), antioxidants that included erythrocyte catalase, reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx). 30 subjects with age 25-60 years, who were diagnosed as having liver cirrhosis by the department of Gastroenterology, Narayana Medical Hospital were included, 30 normal healthy individuals of the same age were selected as control . The results clearly indicated that the levels of pro oxidants, MDA were high in cirrhotic subjects than in the controls with p value of 0.0001. The levels of antioxidant enzymes GSH, Catalase were low in cirrhosis with p value of 0.0001 (GSH) and 0.067(Catalase). But the mean value of glutathione peroxidase was high in cirrhosis than in controls. This may be due to conterregulation with oxidative stress. Hence this study indicates the role of oxidative stress in liver cirrhosis and it clearly defines the imbalance between oxidants & antioxidants.