Although
antiviral drugs are widely used in the clinic, progression to
liver cirrhosis and
hepatocellular carcinoma cannot yet be entirely prevented. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of
lactitol in chronic viral
hepatitis patients with
endotoxemia. Ninety-four patients with chronic viral
hepatitis were separated into two groups based on plasma
endotoxin levels: one group with
endotoxemia (≥ 45 ng/l, n=60) and one group without
endotoxemia (<45 ng/l, n=34). Sixty patients with gut-derived
endotoxemia were randomly and evenly divided into a
lactitol treatment group and a control group. Plasma
endotoxin levels in patients with chronic viral
hepatitis exhibited a negative correlation with
superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity (P<0.001) and a positive correlation with levels of
malondialdehyde (MDA) (P<0.001). The levels of SOD in the
lactitol-treated group increased (P<0.01), while the levels of MDA decreased (P<0.01). Plasma
endotoxin levels decreased (P<0.01) and the number of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria in the intestinal tract increased (P<0.01 for all). These results suggest that
lactitol administration is capable of reducing injury caused by
oxidants through regulating intestinal flora and decreasing gut-derived
endotoxemia in patients with chronic viral
hepatitis.