Gastroenterologìa (Nov 2014)
Morphofunctional Changes in the Liver of Rats with Experimental Hepatitis in Nitric Oxide Imbalance
Abstract
It was found that 7 days after four-time administration of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), acute hepatitis develops in the liver of rats, the basis of it was predominantly common fatty degeneration which occupies 40–80 % of the whole area of biopsy sample and is always localized around the portal area with the largest lesion of I–II acinal area. Morphological changes in the I group were accompanied by increased activity of arginase (AR) in rat liver homogenates by 50.0 % (p < 0.01), and the content of nitric oxide metabolites (NOx) were reduced by 20.0 % (p < 0.01) compared to controls. Also, there was a decrease in the number of external squares, visited by rats, by 79.4 %, and internal ones — by 78.3 % compared with the control group (p < 0.001). Seven days after a single administration of CCl4 (II group), we observed morphological pattern, similar to that of in the I group, but in some cases the changes were characterized by a lower intensity. The development of experimental hepatitis on the background of a lack of nitric oxide in 100 % of cases was characterized by a significant sinusoidal dilatation throughout the plane of biopsy sample. Destruction of hepatocytes due to fatty degeneration was more localized. In the rats of the III group AR activity was inhibited by 22.1 % (p < 0.05) and NOx content was reduced by 21.5 % compared with the control group. The development of acute hepatitis on a background of nitric oxide excess in 75.0 % of the animals was accompanied by a less common, but more severe fatty degeneration with local foci of necrosis. AR activity tended to increase by 9.9 % compared with the controls, a trend towards reduction of NOx by 16.1 % was noted, which is similar to biochemical parameters of the I group. Animals from group of single CCl4 administration on the background of 5-day NO excess were characterized by reduced motor and orienting-investigative activity. The findings indicate that we have created a model of hepatitis by a single CCl4 injection on the background of NO excess. This was confirmed by morphological changes, characteristic for hepatitis, and compensatory response of the organism in the form of increased arginase activity and by a decrease in the content of nitric oxide metabolites in the liver homogenate. A single injection of CCl4 on a background of NO excess led to disorder of both motor and orienting-investigative activity in experimental animals.
Keywords
