Hepatic glutathione content in patients with alcoholic and non alcoholic liver diseases.

Reduced and oxidized hepatic glutathione was evaluated during alcoholic and non alcoholic liver injury. We studied 35 chronic alcoholics, 20 patients with non alcoholic liver diseases, 15 control subjects. Hepatic glutathione was measured in liver biopsies and correlated with histology and laboratory tests. Alcoholic and non alcoholic patients exhibited a significant decrease of hepatic glutathione compared to control subjects (controls: 4.14 +/- 0.1 mumol/g liver; alcoholics: 2.55 +/- 0.1, p less than 0.001; non alcoholics 2.77 +/- 0.1, p less than 0.001). Oxidized glutathione was significantly higher in the two groups of patients compared to controls (controls: 4.4 +/- 0.2% of total; alcoholics 8.2 +/- 0.3, p less than 0.001; non alcoholics: 8.5 +/- 0.8, p less than 0.001). The decreased hepatic glutathione levels in patients with alcoholic and non alcoholic liver diseases may represent a contributing factor of liver injury and may enhance the risk of toxicity in these patients.