Abstract
Pregabalin is a synthetic analogue of the neurotransmitter g-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and is used in the treatment of epilepsy and neuropathic pain. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of pregabalin on toxic liver injury caused by the acute administration of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Rats were orally treated with CCl4 for two successive days either alone or along with intraperitoneal pregabalin at doses of 7 and 14 mg/kg. The control group received the vehicle (olive oil). Liver oxidative stress and damage were assessed by determining serum and/or liver tissue levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), reduced glutathione (GSH), DNA fragmentation, serum aminotransferases, paraoxonase-1 (PON-1), and hepatic histopathology. Results showed that CCl4 significantly (i) increased MDA and NO and decreased PON-1 in both serum and liver tissue, and (ii) decreased liver GSH content and induced marked hepatic DNA fragmentation. CCl4 treatment caused liver tissue injury as evidenced by significantly increased serum aminotransferases. In line with the above biochemical changes, the liver of CCl4-treated rats exhibited massive steatosis, vacuolar degeneration, cloudy swelling, and necrosis. In CCl4-treated rats, pregabalin given at the dose of 14 mg/kg significantly reduced the increments in MDA, NO, serum aminotransferases, and hepatic DNA fragmentation. Liver GSH was unaltered but hepatic and serum PON-1 activity increased after administering pregabalin which also improved, though not normalized, liver tissue histopathology. Collectively, these results suggest that the administration of pregabalin is associated with a reduction in experimental liver injury caused by CCl4. (First online: Apr 12, 2021)
Published Version
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