Effect of the intake of an exclusive sucrose diet on acetaminophen hepatotoxicity in rats

ABSTRACT

To test the effect of a sucrose diet on acetaminophen hepatotoxicity, 20 male Wistar rats were fasted and 20 were maintained exclusively on a sucrose diet ad libitum for 66 h. After 42 h, acetaminophen (1 g/kg) was administered through an orogastric tube to 10 fasted animals and to 10 animals on the sucrose diet, or intraperitoneally to the remaining animals. Animals were killed 24 h later and blood was collected for the measurement of alanine and aspartate aminotransferase activity and the liver was removel for macroscopic and microscopic examination. Plasma alanine and aspeartate aminotransferase levels were significantly lower (P<0.001) in all animals maintained on the sucrose diet. Macroscopic examination revealed parenchymatous necrosis in 90% (18/20) of the fasted animals but in none of the animals fed sucrosel. Microscopic examination confirmed the macroscopic findings and permited the detection of liver necrosis in one additional fasted animal. We conclude that ingestion of a sucrose diet protected the animals from the hepatotoxic effects of acetaminophen regardless of the route of administration of the drug