Activities of free oxygen radical scavenger enzymes in human liver

Activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase were measured in liver biopsy specimens from patients with various liver diseases, including six with chronic persistent hepatitis, nine with chronic active hepatitis, nine with non-alcoholic cirrhosis, eight with alcoholic cirrhosis and eight with acute hepatitis. Measurements from ten patients without liver disease were used as controls. Levels of total superoxide dismutase activity in the chronic active hepatitis and non-alcoholic cirrhosis groups were significantly lower than those in the controls (p less than 0.01 and p less than 0.01, respectively). The level of total superoxide dismutase activity in the acute hepatitis group was significantly higher than that in the control group (p less than 0.01). The levels of Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase activity in all the experimental groups, except for the chronic persistent hepatitis group, were significantly lower than those in the controls (p less than 0.01 in all groups). The levels of Mn-superoxide dismutase activity in the alcoholic cirrhosis and acute hepatitis groups were significantly higher than those in the controls (p less than 0.01 and p less than 0.01, respectively), although no difference in the level of this enzyme was seen among the controls, chronic persistent hepatitis, chronic active hepatitis and non-alcoholic cirrhosis groups. The levels of catalase activity in the groups with chronic active hepatitis, non-alcoholic and alcoholic cirrhosis and acute hepatitis were significantly lower than those in the controls (p less than 0.01 in all groups). Glutathione peroxidase activity showed no difference among the groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)