Green tea may cut liver inflammation
Green
tea may help reduce liver inflammation, according to two recent studies.
People living with chronic hepatitis often use alternative
and complementary therapies in the hope they will improve their liver function.
But few have been studied in controlled trials.
One study looked at the effect of green tea polyphenols on liver fibrosis.
Polyphenols are a group of chemicals found in foods such as berries, chocolate
and tea, and are especially abundant in green tea.
In the study green tea polyphenols showed antioxidant and anti-inflammatory
properties. Antioxidents reduce damage to cells caused by the presence of
oxygen.
Green tea’s greatest antioxidant compound EGCG also appeared to reduce
liver inflammation.
In the second study, rats with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease were injected
with EGCG three times a week. These rats were compared with a control group
that did not receive EGCG. The compound was shown to reduce liver injury among
the rats. Researchers concluded green tea may be beneficial in reducing liver
inflammation.
l Abstracts 1062, 1063
New lower price drug on horizon
University researchers in the UK have developed a new
kind of pegylated interferon for treating hep C that could slash the price
of treatment.
This is because their developmental drug dodges patents held by pharmaceutical
companies Roche and Schering Plough for their drugs Pegasys and Peg-intron.
Pegylation is a process that allows interferon to be dosed once rather than
three times a week.
Researchers at Hammersmith Hospital and the London School of Pharmacy have
developed a new method of pegylation called Polytherase that is sufficiently
different from other methods to avoid infringing existing patents.
The university team has already reached a technology transfer agreement with
Indian drug firm Shantha Biothechnics.
Their drug is likely to cost 25 per cent of the price of current therapy and
is due to enter fast-track Indian government-funded trials on the sub-continent
in 2008.
Tenofovir and adefovir suppress hep B
Two antiviral drugs have been shown effective in suppressing
hep B virus (HBV) in patients co-infected with HIV.
Researchers compared the safety and efficacy of 10mg once-daily adefovir with
300mg once daily tenofovir in 52 people with both viruses.
All participants were on stable HIV therapy; three quarters had an undetectable
HIV viral load. All but six per cent had lamivudine-resistant HBV. Lamivudine
is another drug licenced for treating hepatitis and HIV. The average liver
function (ALT) level was 52IU/L, only slightly above normal levels.
HBV levels decreased in both groups over 48 weeks of treatment; by 4.44 copies/ml
with tenofovir and 3.21 copies/ml with adefovir.
There was no difference in side effects between the two groups, with 11 people
experiencing ALT elevations while on treatment.
The authors concluded: “Both drugs are safe and efficacious for patients
co-infected with HBV and HIV.”
Tenofovir is licensed for treating HIV but remains under investigation for
its potential for treating hepatitis B. Adefovir cannot be used to treat HIV
alone.
l Hepatology 44(5): 1110-1116. November 2006.
Caffeine may slow hep C liver disease
People
living with hep C may benefit by increasing their caffeine intake, according
to latest research.
French researchers suspected caffeine might have anti-oxidant properties that
help reduce the risk of liver disease progression in people with hep C.
They tested the theory in 238 treatment-naive people with chronic hep C. Participants
were asked about their daily consumption of alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine
in the six months prior to liver biopsy. A hundred and fifty-four men and
84 women whose average age was 45.4 years took part.
Daily caffeine consumption was estimated by adding the average intake of coffee,
tea, and caffeine-containing soft drinks.
Researchers saw no relationship between daily caffeine consumption and liver
function (ALT or alanine aminotransferase levels).
But people who drank at least three cups of drinks containing caffeine per
day were shown to have less advanced liver disease. People over 40 and those
with higher ALT levels were more likely to have greater liver damage.
l Abstract 216. 57th AASLD. Boston, USA. October 27-31, 2006.
