**1.16 Vitamins C and E**

Vitamin C, substrate for ascorbate peroxidase, is not only a highly effective antioxidant but also an essential component of a healthy diet. Vitamin E, the major antioxidant found in lipid composition of membranes, is a fat-soluble antioxidant. During fat oxidization, vitamin E helps to inhibit formation of ROS [99]. Several studies showed that vitamin E serum levels are significantly reduced in alcoholic liver disease [100]. It is also shown that vitamin E levels are inversely proportional to formation of oxidative stress products that correlate with the extent of liver damage [101]. For this reason, maintenance of normal concentrations of vitamin E appears to be necessary for preventing lipid peroxidation due to alcohol consumption. Works from several laboratories have so far indicated that mitochondrial damage may present a common early event in cell injury [102]. It is possible to prevent mitochondrial damage through vitamin E [103]. Vitamin E or C alone, or in combination, can ease scavenging free radicals that are generated in the liver tissue [104]. In the mouse model, vitamin E supplementation restores alcohol-induced redox status, reduces apoptosis, and prevents oxidative stress [105]. What is more, vitamin E is effective in doses of 600 mg daily when it comes to suppressing HBV replication and normalizing ALT in a significant proportion of chronically infected patients with CLD [106].
