The Protective Effect of Chitosan against Acute Oxidative Liver Injuries Induced by Carbon Tetrachloride

摘要

Carbon tetrachloride is an organic solvent known for its hepatotoxicity. Its effects are due to CCl3? radical production. Chitosan is a natural antioxidant obtained from the exoskeleton of the crustaceous; it protects the liver against the oxidative stress. We used 40 female Wistar rats (weight 23025 gr.) divided into 4 equal groups. Group I was the control one; Group II received a unique dose of 3 ml/kg CCl4 by gavage; Group III received daily 5 mg/kg vitamin E i.m. for a week before the CCl4 administration. Group IV received daily 3 mg/kg chitosan i.p. for a week before the CCl4 administration. 24 hours after the CCl4 have been given, blood and liver tissue samples were taken. We assessed the oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde) and antioxidant defence markers (hydrogen donors capacity and reduced glutathione) both from serum and liver tissue. CCl4 acute administration induced oxidative stress especially in the liver tissue (malondialdehyde level increases, while glutathione level decreased). However, for the animals that have been protected with chitosan, the oxidative stress markers had almost similar values to those of the control group. The histopathological findings confirm the results. Therefore, chitosan has a protective effect against liver injuries induced by acute exposure to CCl4