Keywords
Abstract
With the growth of technological and chemical burden on humanity in the 21th century, people are increasingly faced with hepatotoxic agents (chemical reagents, drugs and pesticides) in the processes of work and everyday existence. As a consequence, the incidence of liver disease is also on the rise world- wide. The search for effective treatments of liver damage is a major global public health problem. Essential phospholipids in the second half of the 20th century were widely used in medical practice as hepatoprotec- tive drugs to protect and improve liver function. However, preclinical data of these studies are scattered, isolated, fragmentary and concern only individual drugs of the group, although they can significantly supplement the existing knowledge on the mechanisms of action of the studied compounds, the kinetics of their specific pharmacological effects and pharmacodynamics.
The aim of the study – to evaluate the therapeutic and prophylactic effects of Essentiale N on tetrachlo- romethane (TCM) – induced liver damage in rats in order to provide additional scientific information on the suitability of this drug for the treatment of liver diseases.
In order to study the hepatoprotective efficacy of Essentiale N on the model of acute toxic hepatitis of white rats, males (Rattus norvegicus) were divided into three groups of 10 animals each: the first group was the control, which was injected with only the solvent; rats of the second group (toxic hepatitis) were intra- peritoneally injected with a 50 % oil solution of TCM at a dose of 0.5 ml/kg of body weight for seven days; the third group – for seven days rats were injected intraperitoneally with Essentiale N at a dose of 44.26 mg/kg, and after 2 hours – with a 50 % oil solution of TCM at a dose of 0.5 ml/kg of body weight, then for three days the animals received only Essentiale N. At the end of the experiment, the animals were sacrificed, macroscopic and microscopic studies were performed, and biochemical parameters of serum and liver tissue were determined.
The conducted studies revealed the hepatoprotective effect of Essentiale N on all studied parameters. The use of Essentiale N prevented a sharp increase in the content of reduced glutathione in the liver of rats, and hence the formation of oxidizing agents and reactive metabolites in the body as a result of hepato- toxin administration, and also contributed to a significant normalization of antioxidant homeostasis. In animals treated with Essentiale N, there was also a significant correction of the levels of GGT, ALT, AST and AP activity, which could serve as evidence of its hepatoprotective activity.
The results of biochemical and morphological studies are consistent with each other. Under these experimental conditions, in rats of the group with toxic hepatitis, a significant inflammatory reaction was found in the liver capsule and visceral peritoneum, while when Essentiale N was used, these changes were observed in a smaller number of animals and were of a focal nature. In animals of the group treated with Essentiale N, in addition, signs of fatty infiltration of hepatocytes were observed to a lesser extent, and small and medium lipid inclusions predominated compared to animals of the group with toxic hepatitis. The results of the study of Essentiale N pharmacological efficacy showed that under these experimental condi- tions it had a clear hepatoprotective effect, most likely realized not only due to the membrane-stabilizing properties of phospholipids, but also as a result of facilitating the regeneration of hepatocytes.