Antioxidative and antiapoptotic effects of vitamin A and vitamin C against carbon tetrachloride induced hepatotoxicity in mice

Abstract

Reactive oxygen radicals play an important role in various forms of liver injury. The present study was a trial to evaluate the efficacy of each of vitamin A&C in its clinical dose (80 mg / Kg ip) on experimental model of chronic liver injury in mice using carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Animals were subdivided into four groups (control, CCl4 treated, CCl4+Vit.A and CCl4+Vit.C). Vitamin A&C were administrated 2 hours prior interaperitoneal administration of 0.2 ml / Kg CCl4 in mice. A significant decrease in serum Glutathione (GSH) and Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity along with marked elevation of serum malondialdehyde (MDA), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was recorded in response to CCl4 hepatotoxicity. An notable normalizing to this measured parameters was observed in the groups treated by vitamin A & C. On Histopathological basis, hydropic degeneration, steatotic changes and apoptosis was seen obviously in CCl4 treated group but partial improvement in the previous parameters was noted in vitamin A & C treated groups in spite of vitamin C seemed to be less effective as far as vitamin A. These results theorized that vitamin A & C may have a potency to increase the antioxidant and antiapoptotic defense system activity in the CCl4 treated mice.