A study of the levels of glutathione peroxidase in patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is a major complication of liver cirrhosis, which is associated with increased mortality. While recent studies have demonstrated the involvement of reactive oxygen species in the pathogenesis of liver cirrhosis, the role of oxidative stress in the development of SBP has not yet been completely established. The present study aims to evaluate the role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of this complication and also the relevance of the specific treatment on these aspects. We present here some of our preliminary results regarding the specific activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPX), a very important antioxidant enzyme, from both serum and ascitic fluid of patients with decompensated cirrhosis and SBP, patients diagnosed with decompensated liver cirrhosis with ascites and patients with compensated liver cirrhosis. Our results demonstrate the presence of an increased oxidative stress in patients with decompensated cirrhosis and SBP compared with those without SBS and those with compensated liver cirrhosis, as demonstrated through the significant decrease of the specific activity of GPX. The measurement of these oxidative stress parameters may have an important role in the diagnosis and follow-up of this important liver pathology and the auxiliary treatment