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Antioxidant enzyme activities in hepatic tissue from children with chronic cholestatic liver disease

Nagwa A Ismail1, Sawsan H Okasha, A Dhawan

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Medical Research Division, National Research Centre, Dokki, Egypt. nagwa_abdallah@yahoo.com

Saudi Journal of Gastroenterology : Official Journal of the Saudi Gastroenterology Association
|March 27, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Children with cholestatic chronic liver disease show increased oxidative stress markers, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and catalase (CAT). These findings suggest a role for oxidative stress in disease development.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Hepatology
  • Biochemistry
  • Oxidative Stress Research

Background:

  • Cholestatic chronic liver diseases in children are associated with significant morbidity.
  • The role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of these conditions remains incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the oxidative stress status in pediatric patients with cholestatic chronic liver disease.
  • To quantify the activity of key antioxidant enzymes: glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) in liver tissue.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 34 children with cholestatic chronic liver disease underwent liver biopsy.
  • Control group comprised 7 children with incidental normal liver biopsies.
  • Enzyme activities (GPx, SOD, CAT) were measured in fresh liver tissue using ELISA.

Main Results:

  • Children with cholestatic liver disease exhibited significantly elevated hepatic levels of SOD, GPx, and CAT compared to controls.
  • Extrahepatic biliary atresia group showed significant increases in all three enzymes.
  • Neonatal hepatitis and paucity of intrahepatic bile ducts groups demonstrated significant increases in GPx and CAT.

Conclusions:

  • Oxidative stress is implicated in the pathogenesis of pediatric cholestatic chronic liver diseases.
  • Elevated antioxidant enzyme activity suggests a compensatory response to oxidative damage.
  • Further clinical studies exploring adjuvant antioxidant therapy are warranted.
Abstract

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