Effects of vitamin C and E on toxic action of alcohol on partial hepatectomy-induced liver regeneration in rats

The Use of Chitosan-Coated Nanovesicles in Repairing Alcohol-Induced Damage of Liver Cells in Mice

Background and Objectives In the past few decades, the studies concerning the natural polysaccharide chitosan have been centered on a new direction: its hepatoprotective action. The aim of our study was to evaluate the influence of previously designed chitosan lipid vesicles on the liver damage induced by alcohol consumption in mice. Materials and Methods The study involved the oral administration of substances in one daily dose as follows: Group 1 (control): water; Group 2 (control alcohol): 5% alcohol in water; Group 3 (CHIT): 0.1 mL/10 g body weight chitosan solution in animals treated with alcohol; Group 4 (CHIT-ves): 0.1 mL/10 g body chitosan vesicles in animals treated with alcohol; Group 5 (AcA): 200 mg/kg body ascorbic acid in animals treated with alcohol. In order to evaluate liver damage after alcohol consumption, the following hematological parameters were tested: the activity of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase; serum values of urea and creatinine; the phagocytic capacity of polymorphonuclear neutrophilsin peripheral blood;serum opsonic capacity;bactericidal capacity of peritoneal macrophages; and the activity of malondialdehyde, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and lactate dehydrogenase. Results and Conclusions The treatment with chitosan vesicles decreased liver enzyme activity and reduced the oxidative stress disturbances in alcoholic mice, thus repairing the hepatic functional and structural damages. These beneficial activities of chitosan vesicles were comparable with ascorbic acid effects in alcoholic mice.

Differential Effect of Antioxidants Glutathione and Vitamin C on the Hepatic Injuries Induced by Plasmodium berghei ANKA Infection

Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by Plasmodium and represents one of the main public health problems in the world. Among alterations associated with the disease, we highlight the hepatic impairment resulting from the generation of oxidative stress. Studies demonstrate that liver injuries caused by Plasmodium infection are associated with unbalance of the antioxidant system in hepatocytes, although little is known about the role of antioxidant molecules such as glutathione and vitamin C in the evolution of the disease and in the liver injury. To evaluate disease complications, murine models emerge as a valuable tool due to their similarities between the infectious species for human and mice. Herein, the aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of antioxidants glutathione and vitamin C on the evolution of murine malaria and in the liver damage caused by Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection. Mice were inoculated with parasitized erythrocytes and treated with glutathione and vitamin C, separately, both at 8 mg/kg during 7 consecutive days. Our data showed that during Plasmodium infection, treatment with glutathione promoted significant decrease in the survival of infected mice, accelerating the disease severity. However, treatment with vitamin C promoted an improvement in the clinical outcomes and prolonged the survival curve of infected animals. We also showed that glutathione promoted increase in the parasitemia rate of Plasmodium-infected animals, although treatment with vitamin C has induced significant decrease in parasitemia rates. Furthermore, histological analysis and enzyme biochemical measurement showed that treatment with glutathione exacerbates liver damage while treatment with vitamin C mitigates the hepatic injury induced by the infection. In summary, the current study provided evidences that antioxidant molecules could differently modulate the outcome of malaria disease; while glutathione aggravated the disease outcome and liver injury, the treatment with vitamin C protects the liver from damage and the evolution of the condition.

Plasma quercetin metabolites are affected by intestinal microbiota of human microbiota-associated mice fed with a quercetin-containing diet

Protective effect of quercetin on high-fat diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in mice has been reported. Recent research has revealed that several intestinal bacteria metabolize quercetin. We hypothesize that the difference in composition of intestinal microbiota affects quercetin absorption from the intestine. Germ-free BALB/cA female mice (18 weeks old) were randomly divided into four groups and orally administered with fecal suspension from four human individuals (HF1, HF2, HF3, HF4) to produce the human microbiota-associated mice. All mice were fed the 0.05% quercetin-containing pelleted diet for four weeks. Significant differences were observed in plasma total cholesterol and cecal microbiota among the four groups. Plasma quercetin concentration was significantly higher in the HF3 group than in the HF1 group. The plasma isorhamnetin/quercetin ratio showed significant negative correlation with visceral fat levels (r = -0.544, p = 0.013). Positive correlation was observed between the Log₁₀ Enterobacteriaceae count and the plasma quercetin metabolites. Principal component analysis showed that all groups were distributed in different regions by using the correlation diagram with the second and third principal component. This study indicates that intestinal microbiota of human microbiota-associated mice inoculated with different fecal suspensions react to dietary quercetin in different ways.