1987 Volume 28 Issue 6 Pages 681-686
Superoxide dismutase activities (SOD) in the liver tissue and the serum of patients with viral hepatitis were measured. SOD were assayed according to Oyanagui's method.
Lipid peroxides (LPO) were also assayed according to Ohkawa's method. The liver total SOD, Cu, Zn-SOD and Mn-SOD activities in patients with acute hepatitis were significantly higher than those in normal controls. The liver SOD in chronic liver diseases were lower than those in normal controls. As to chronic liver diseases, SOD activities especially cytosolic Cu, Zn-SOD decreased according to the progress of the diseases. Between SOD activities and LPO in the liver tissue, there were positive correlations in acute, chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis. Particularly, a significantly positive good correlation between them was noted in chronic active hepatitis. These findings suggest that SOD were induced remarkably by oxygen radicals in acute hepatitis, but in chronic liver diseases the extent of SOD induction by oxygen radicals were declined in accordance with the progress of tissue injury. On the other hand, level of the serum SOD activities increased in liver diseases. This might be due to the release of SOD into the blood from the continuous damaged liver cells by oxygen radicals.
