Abstract
Hepatosplenic schistosomiasis is a parasitic liver disease resulting in granuloma formation followed by liver fibrosis. The hepatic levels of reduced glutathione, and the activities of glutathione reductase and glutathione S-transferase in the liver of fifteen schistosome-infected patients compared with those of five liver schistosome-free samples were determined. The hepatic levels of reduced glutathione and glutathione reductase activity increased by 267 and 72%, respectively. Glutathione S-transferase activity decreased by 51% in the liver samples of schistosome-infected patients. The activities of alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase increased by 82, 74 and 100%, respectively. It seems that Schistosoma mansonichanges the hepatic levels of glutathione and the activities of glutathione-metabolizing enzymes. These alterations may change the capacity of the liver to detoxify and/or neutralize the toxic effects of either endogenous or exogenous compounds to which humans are exposed.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 119-127 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Biomedical Letters |
| Volume | 56 |
| Issue number | 222 |
| State | Published - Dec 1 1997 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Glutathione
- Glutathione S-transferase
- Schistosomiasis
- Serum aminotransferases
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)