Abstract
Hepatosplenic schistosomiasis is a parasitic liver disease resulting in granuloma formation followed by liver fibrosis. The hepatic levels of reduced glutathione, and the activities of glutathione reductase and glutathione S-transferase in the liver of fifteen schistosome-infected patients compared with those of five liver schistosome-free samples were determined. The hepatic levels of reduced glutathione and glutathione reductase activity increased by 267 and 72%, respectively. Glutathione S-transferase activity decreased by 51% in the liver samples of schistosome-infected patients. The activities of alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase increased by 82, 74 and 100%, respectively. It seems that Schistosoma mansoni changes the hepatic levels of glutathione and the activities of glutathione-metabolizing enzymes. These alterations may change the capacity of the liver to detoxify and/or neutralize the toxic effects of either endogenous or exogenous compounds to which humans are exposed.