Improvement of hemorheological abnormalities in alcoholics by an oral antioxidant.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: It has been shown that alcohol impairs erythrocyte (red blood cell) membrane fluidity and lipid composition. The aim of this study was to test the effect of a novel acid-resistant antioxidant on the hemorrheology in alcoholics. METHODOLOGY: Thirty alcoholics (25 males, 5 females; mean age: 42 years; range: 31-54; 150 g ethanol/day for 3-5 years) were enrolled into the study. Patients were randomly and double-blindly allocated into 2 groups which were given, for a 2 week period, 18 g/day of Bionormalizer (obtained from biofermentation of carica papaya, pennisetum purpureum, sechium edule, Osato Res. Foundation, Gifu, Japan) dissolved in 5 mL of water at bedtime and 3 hours prior to examination. Placebo consisted of flavored sugar. Healthy teetotalers served as control. On the examination day, blood samples were taken for testing: routine tests, plasma glutathione, ascorbic acid, selenium, plasma lipid hydroperoxides and alpha-tocopherol. Erythrocytes were separated and tested for red blood cell malonyldialdehyde and glutathione content. The hemorheological studies were as follows: blood and plasma viscosity, whole blood filterability, red blood cell membrane fluidity by electron spin resonance, red blood cell aggregation index by photometric rheoscopy and red blood cell deformability by ektacytometry. RESULTS: As compared to healthy controls, alcoholics on placebo treatment showed no change of plasma viscosity but a significantly higher red blood cell malonyldialdehyde, blood viscosity (P < 0.05) and lower plasma glutathione, whole blood filterability and red blood cell fluidity (P < 0.01). No relationship appeared between biochemical tests and red blood cell membrane fluidity. Bionormalizer group showed a significant recovery to control values of either blood viscosity and whole blood filterability (P < 0.01) and a partial, although significant, improvement of red blood cell membrane fluidity, red blood cell malonyldialdehyde and plasma glutathione (P < 0.05). As compared to healthy control, red blood cell aggregation decreased in alcoholics (P < 0.05) and was not affected by Bionormalizer. However, Bionormalizer significantly improved the reduced red blood cell deformability (P < 0.05 vs. alcoholics) and this parameter correlated with red blood cell malonyldialdehyde (r: 0.62. P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary data suggest that an effective antioxidant supplementation is able to improve the hemorrheology in alcoholics either by directly affecting the ethanol-related lipoperoxidation and xanthine oxidase system activation and/or by modifying red blood cell membrane characteristics.

Cyanocobalamin absorption abnormality in alcoholics is improved by oral supplementation with a fermented papaya-derived antioxidant.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Thirty alcoholic patients and 24 teetotaler dyspeptic patients were considered and underwent baseline blood chemical evaluation and the Schilling test. METHODOLOGY: During gastroscopy, biopsy samples were taken to assay: routine histology, malonyldialdehyde, vitamin E and glutathione concentration and for testing vitamin B12-Intrinsic Factor binding. Examinations were repeated after 1-week supplementation with Bionormalizer. RESULTS: Plasma malonyldialdehyde level and lipid hydroperoxides concentration as well as either malonyldialdehyde and xanthine oxidase concentration in the gastric mucosa in alcoholics were significantly higher than in controls and despite unchanged alcohol consumption, significantly decreased after Bionormalizer supplementation. Gastric mucosal glutathione was markedly depressed in alcoholics and partly recovered after Bionormalizer supplementation. Although the alcoholics showed a normal intrinsic factor secretion in the gastric juice, they exhibited a markedly depressed intrinsic factor-cobalamin binding on the "ex vivo" study. Moreover, nearly 23% of them had an abnormal Schilling test. Both these impairments reverted to normal after Bio-normalizer supplementation. CONCLUSIONS: It can be postulated that the antioxidative action played by Bionormalizer, possibly due to its availability substrates for glutathione synthesis as well as to its effects on local oxidative burst from neutrophil, is able to recover a normal cobalamin absorption.

Alpha interferon treatment in chronic hepatitis C.

INTRODUCTION: Alpha interferon (alpha IFN) treatment normalizes serum ALT levels in at least half of all patients affected by chronic hepatitis C, but a reactivation of the disease is frequently observed after the end of therapy. Different regimens of alpha IFN therapy have been proposed but the optimal schedule is still controversial. Recently at least 6 different types of HCV have been identified and the HCV genotype has been proposed as an important factor influencing the response to alpha IFN therapy. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of different regimens of alpha IFN in chronic hepatitis C, and to study the relationship between the response to treatment and HCV genotypes. METHODS: 160 consecutive patients affected by biopsy-proven chronic hepatitis C were randomly treated with different doses of lymphoblastoid alpha IFN [adjusted to the body surface area (m2)] and different durations of therapy, as follows: 2 MU/m2/t.i.w. for 6 or 12 months or 4 MU/m2/t.i.w. for 6 or 12 months. Biochemical and virological responses were studied: ALT levels were monitored monthly during and for at least 6 months after the end of treatment, and serum HCV RNA was assessed before and at the end of therapy, using nested RT-PCR. Biochemical responses were defined in advance as follows: non-response as maintenance of abnormal ALT levels during treatment; complete response as the normalization of ALT by the 4th month and lasting until the end of treatment; sustained response as a complete response lasting for at least 6 months after the end of therapy. The clearance of serum HCV RNA at the end of therapy was considered a virological response. In pre-treatment sera stored at-80 degrees, HCV genotyping was performed according to the method of Okamoto. The Chi square test and multiple stepwise logistic regression were used for the statistical analysis. RESULTS: A sustained biochemical response was significantly more frequent in patients treated for 12 than in patients treated for 6 months, independently of the dosage (45% vs 24% in patients treated with 2 MU/m2/tiw, and 55.5% vs 30% in those treated with 4 MU/m2/tiw). The distribution of HCV genotypes (according to the classification of Okamoto) was 9.8% type I, 45.5% type II, 37.1% type III and 7.6% type V. Both the biochemical and virological responses were significantly correlated to the HCV genotype, being significantly more frequent in patients infected with type III or V (71-60% biochemical and 48-50% virological response, respectively) than in patients with type I or II (15% biochemical and 18-21% virological response, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: 12 months of alpha IFN treatment seemed to be significantly more efficacious than 6 months of therapy, and a significant relationship between the HCV genotype and the biochemical and virological response to alpha IFN was found.