Abstract
This study provides an information about the mechanisms of liver injury induced by CCl4, and determines the influence of administration of L-carnitine or/and CoQ10 as prophylactic agents against CCl4 deteriorative effect. The study was carried out on 80 adult male albino rats divided into eight groups, 10 animals each, as follows: four normal groups (control, treated with L-carnitine, treated with CoQ10, and treated with a combination of Lcarnitine and CoQ10) and four liver injury groups treated with CCl4 (control, treated with L-carnitine, treated with CoQ10, and treated with a combination of L-carnitine and CoQ10). Liver injury was induced by s.c. injection of a single dose of CCl4 (1 ml/kg). L-carnitine (50 mg/kg/day) was given i.p. for four successive days 24 hours before CCl4 injection, and CoQ10 (200 mg/kg) was given as a single i.p. dose 24 hours before CCl4 injection. Animals were sacrificed 24 hours after CCl4 injection, blood samples were withdrawn and liver tissue samples were homogenized. The levels of the following parameters were determined: hepatic reduced glutathione, serum ALT and AST, hepatic lipid peroxides, hepatic vitamin C, hepatic and serum total protein, serum albumin, serum sialic acid, serum nitrite, and serum and hepatic total LDH activities and LDH isoenzymes. The obtained data revealed that CCl4 injection produced a significant decrease in reduced glutathione content, vitamin C, total protein and albumin levels. However, there was a significant increase in serum ALT and AST activities, lipid peroxides, sialic acid, nitric oxide, serum and hepatic total LDH activities. On the other hand, groups treated with L-carnitine or/and CoQ10 prior to CCl4 injection showed an improvement in most parameters when compared with cirrhotic control group. It has been concluded that L-carnitine and coenzyme Q10 have a pronounced prophylactic effect against liver damage induced by halogenated alkanes such as carbon tetrachloride.
Highlights
The use of many halogenated alkanes such as carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), chloroform (CHCl3), or iodoform (CHI3) has been banned or severely restricted because of their distinct toxicity
The aim of this work is to evaluate the prophylactic effect of L-carnitine, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) or their combination against the deteriorative effect induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) on serum & liver
Administration of L-carnitine or/and coenzyme Q10, significantly increased these parameters compared to CCl4 control group as shown in Tables 1, 2
Summary
The use of many halogenated alkanes such as carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), chloroform (CHCl3), or iodoform (CHI3) has been banned or severely restricted because of their distinct toxicity. It is an amino acid derivative that is found in most cells of the body and occurs naturally in animal products. It is synthesized in the liver and kidneys from the essential amino acid L-lysine [3]. Liver is one of the main sources of endogenous carnitine synthesis from lysine, methionine, ascorbate, niacin, pyridoxine and Fe2+. A healthcare provider may recommend use of the supplement levocarnitine (L-carnitine) for individuals who have a suspected or confirmed deficiency of this nutrient
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