Serum malondialdehyde: Possible use for the clinical management of chronichepatitis C patients

Serum lipid peroxidation products are increased in inflammatory liver disea se and, as we previously reported, also in chronic hepatitis C. We have per formed a specific assay of malondialdehyde, the reported most abundant prod uct of lipid peroxidation, in serum of twenty four chronic hepatitis C pati ents, before, during, and after interferon treatment. Liver biopsies were p erformed in each patient before and after interferon treatment. The results show higher serum malondialdehyde Values in chronic hepatitis C patients t han healthy subjects (n = 68) before interferon treatment (p < .001). Mean value of serum malondialdehyde levels after interferon treatment was signif icantly lower than before it (p < .002). Associating the histopathological findings in each of the 48 biopsies performed, with serum malondialdehyde a nd alanine aminotransferase activity levels, of the sample obtained the sam e day of biopsy, a much better correspondence with the histopathological se verity was observed for malondialdehyde concentration than for alanine amin otransferase activity. These levels decreased significantly after interfero n treatment. However, when the patients were grouped in responding (group I ; n = 9) and non-responding (group II; n = 15) to interferon treatment, acc ording to the histopathological findings before and after interferon, the v alues of group I before interferon treatment were significantly higher than group II (p < .03). Thus, a potential predictive value could be ascribed t o the serum malondialdehyde levels before interferon treatment in these pat ients. We propose the utility of the specific assay of malondialdehyde for the clinical management of chronic hepatitis C patients. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Inc.