Protective effect of chitosan treatment against acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity
Citation
Özçelik, E., Uslu, S., Erkasap, N., & Karimi, H. (2014). Protective effect of chitosan treatment against acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity. The Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences, 30(6), 286-290.Abstract
Acetaminophen (APAP) is the most commonly reported toxic ingestion in the world.
Severe liver injury resulting from overdose or chronic use of APAP remains a significant clinical
problem. In recent years, the mechanisms underlying liver injury caused by APAP have become
much better understood. We have studied the protective effect of chitosan supplementation
against APAP-induced hepatotoxicity with respect to changes in the levels of total and lipidbound sialic acid in the serum and in the liver tissue and changes in the activity of diagnostic
marker enzymes, lipid peroxidation, and ceruloplasmin oxidase enzyme in normal and experimental groups of rats. During the experimental period, chitosan (200 mg/kg body weight per
day) was administered to APAP þ chitosan-treated rats by oral gavage. Results showed that
treatment with APAP induced a significant increase in the serum alanine aminotransferase
and alkaline phosphatase activities, in total and lipid-bound sialic acids levels, and in the liver
lipid peroxide content. The administration of chitosan significantly prevented APAP-induced
alterations in the levels of diagnostic marker enzymes, total sialic acid, lipid-bound sialic acid,
and malondialdehyde in the experimental groups of rats. Furthermore, chitosan administration
increased the activity of ceruloplasmin oxidase. In conclusion, our results suggest that chitosan
has a protective effect on APAP-induced hepatic injury in rats. The study sheds light on the
therapeutic potential of chitosan in an APAP-induced hepatotoxicity model.