Ceruloplasmin Activity and Ferritin in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease

Abstract

Background: Ceruloplasmin (CP) is a copper-containing glycoprotein found in the globulin portion of human blood serum 2. CP, a glycoprotein secreted by hepatocytes, carries more than 90% of copper in the bloodstream of healthy people. CP is an effective antioxidant that prevents lipid peroxidation by removing oxygen. CP inhibits lipid peroxidation initiation. CP has function also known as an extracellular superoxide dismutase species (SOD) that neutralizes radicals of superoxide anions. Aims: The aim of this study is to understand the status of CP in chronic liver disease (CLD) patients, which could yield important information regarding the overall oxidative stress and iron storage. Out of the total 86 samples, 50 samples were patients who have been diagnosed with CLD, especially chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV), collected from the Center of Internal Medicine and Cardiology in Marjan Teaching Hospital in Hillah city, Babylon Province, Iraq and other samples were healthy controls. Materials and Methods: The CP oxidase activity test was processed by PPD buffer oxidation. Ferritin concentration was tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: There were no significant differences in levels of ferritin between HBV and HCV patient groups, but there are slight increases in the mean of CP activity in the HCV patients. A positive significant correlation was observed between CP activity and ferritin. Conclusion: 1. CP activity increases in CLD patient and in HCV more than HBV. 2. CP activity is affected by viral load so it increases in positive viral load patients compared with negative viral load patients. 3. There was a positive correlation between CP activity and ferritin. 4. Serum ferritin is not affected by CLD.