Reactive oxygen species and liver disease therapy

Abstract

Several investigations in the last two decades have proven the involvement of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of liver diseases, regardless of the cause. The impact of free radicals is documented in viral hepatitis, alcoholic and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, ischemia/reperfusion injury, autoimmune disorders, cholestasis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and drug-induced liver injury. As a consequence, antioxidants are proposed as promising compounds for the prevention and treatment of hepatic damage. Antioxidant therapy is generally protective in cellular and animal models of most liver diseases, and this evidence led to test antioxidant drugs in hepatopatic patients. However, in current clinical practice oxidative damage is not targeted by most medical practitioners. In this chapter we will review the evidences in support of antioxidant therapy in liver diseases after a brief presentation of the role played by free radicals in their pathogenesis.