Oxidative Stress and Benefits of Antioxidant Agents in Acute and Chronic Hepatitis

CONTEXT: Oxidative damage due to oxidative stress is the failure of the cell's defense against the deleterious effects of harmful agents by means of its numerous autoprotective mechanisms. oxidative stress is a key impairment induced by various conditions, including atherosclerosis, hypertension, ischemia-reperfusion, hepatitis, pancreatitis, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: Oxidative stress is a common pathogenetic mechanism contributing to the initiation and progression of hepatic damage in cases of inflammatory liver disorders, including acute and chronic hepatitis. Antioxidant administration is a good therapeutic strategy for the treatment of hepatitis. RESULTS: Our comprehensive review of the literature revealed that contradictory results have been obtained with many antioxidants and antioxidant agents. CONCLUSION: Since clinical studies to date have generally involved testing of the effects of antioxidant mixtures containing more than 2 antioxidants and also have been limited because of toxic effects of high doses of some antioxidants, antioxidant therapy for acute and chronic hepatitis needs further study.