Abstract

Asmaa F. Aboul Naser, Dalia B. Fayed and Manal A. Hamed*

ABSTRACT

Liver fibrosis is a pathological disease resulting from chronic liver inflammation worldwide. The present study discusses the efficacy of niacin, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and their combination against liver fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in rats. Silymarin as a reference hepatoprotective drug was also evaluated. Liver fibrosis was induced by intraperitoneal administrations of CCl4 (0.5 ml/kg) / (1:9 v/v) olive oil twice a week for six weeks. The evaluation was done through estimation of oxidative stress markers; malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Liver function enzymes; serum aspartate and alanine aminotransferases (AST, ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), inflammatory marker as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-?) and serum total protein content were also estimated. The work was extend to analyze the histopathological picture of liver. After CCl4 injection, severe liver injury was evident, seen as alterations in the hepatic architectures and drastic changes in all biochemical parameters under investigation. Treatment with niacin, CoQ10, their combination and silymarin attenuated the adverse effect of CCl4 by variable degrees. In conclusion, the synergistic action of niacin and coenzyme Q10 showed a good mirror to the improvement occurred of the measured biochemical parameters and the enhancement of liver architectures.