ABSTRACT
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are major causes of chronic liver disease, and their prevalence is estimated to be 350 to 400 million and 170 millions of carriers in the world, respectively (McMahon et al. 2008, Lauer et al. 2001). HBV and HCV frequently lead to chronic hepatitis which can progress to cirrhosis and eventually to hepatocellular carcinoma. Nowadays, the mechanisms by which HBV and HCV cause cell damage are not well understood but oxidative stress deleterious action, represented by oxygen (ROS) or reactive nitrogen species (RNS) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of both infections (De Maria et al. 1996, Koike et al. 2006, Acar et al. 2009). ROS generation play a role in mitochondrial DNA damage and affect apoptosis (Fig. 3.2.1). Recently, the role of oxidative stress has been investigated in an increasing number of liver diseases (Radosavljevic et al. 2009, Moreno-Otero et al. 2010, Kathirvel et al. 2010), including HBV and HCV.
