Amelioration of CCl4-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rabbits by Lepidium sativum Seeds

The current study aimed to evaluate the probable protective effect of Lepidium sativum seeds (LSS) against CCl₄ induced hepatic injury in New-Zealand rabbits. Rabbits were randomly divided into two main groups; group-A (noninjured group, n=15) was divided to subgroups A1 (untreated control) and A2 and A3 which received 200 & 400 mg/kg bw of LSS, respectively, in their diet daily. Group-B (injured group, n=30) were subcutaneously injected with CCl₄ (0.5 ml/kg bw) starting from day one of the experiment and were equally divided into 3 subgroups: B1 received normal standard diet and B2 & B3 received 200 & 400 mg/kg bw of LSS, respectively, in their diet daily. Five rabbits of all subgroups were decapitated 5 and 10 weeks after experimental running. Biochemical analysis revealed significant decrease in serum levels of transaminases, γ-GT, ALP, total bilirubin, cholesterol, triglycerides associated with significant increase in the serum levels of T protein and albumin of 200 and 400 mg/kg bw of LSS protected rabbits for 5 and 10 weeks as compared with CCl₄ treated rabbits. Oxidative stress and depressed antioxidant system of the liver tissues were markedly obvious in the CCl₄ treated group. LSS administration reversed these results towards normalization. Histopathological examination of LSS protected rabbits (200 mg/kg bw of LSS for 10 weeks) showed improvement of the histoarchitectural changes of the liver induced by CCl₄ to the normal aspect, showing regenerating hepatocytes with no steatosis, discrete chronic venous congestion, and discrete inflammatory infiltrate. The current findings provide new evidence that LSS could reverse the hepatotoxic effects of CCl₄ and repair the liver functions.

Endogenous n-3 Fatty Acids Alleviate Carbon-Tetrachloride-Induced Acute Liver Injury in Fat-1 Transgenic Mice

n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are beneficial for numerous models of liver diseases. The probable protective effects of n-3 PUFA against carbon-tetrachloride- (CCl₄-) induced acute liver injury were evaluated in a fat-1 transgenic mouse that synthesizes endogenous n-3 from n-6 PUFA. Fat-1 mice and their WT littermates were fed a modified AIN93 diet containing 10% corn oil and were injected intraperitoneally with a single dose of CCl₄ or vehicle. CCl₄ challenge caused severe liver injury in WT mice, as indicated by serum parameters and histopathological changes, which were remarkably ameliorated in fat-1 mice. Endogenous n-3 PUFA decreased the elevation of oxidative stress induced by CCl₄ challenge, which might be attributed to the activation of Nrf2/keap1 pathway. Additionally, endogenous n-3 PUFA reduces hepatocyte apoptosis via suppressing MAPK pathway. These findings indicate that n-3 PUFA has potent protective effects against acute liver injury induced by CCl₄ in mice, suggesting that n-3 PUFA can be used for the prevention and treatment of liver injury.