Liver inflammation and oxidative damage induced by subchronic crotonaldehyde exposure in male rats / 中国职业医学

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the hepatotoxicity induced by subchronic crotonaldehyde exposure in male rats and analyze its possible mechanism. METHODS: The specific pathogen-free male Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group, low-, medium-and high-dose crotonaldehyde groups, with 10 rats in each group. The crotonaldehyde solution at doses of 0.0, 2.5, 4.5, and 8.5 mg/kg body weight were given by intragastric administration, once a day, 5 days per week, and continuous for 90 days. The body weight of the rats were weighed during the exposure period. After the exposure, the liver organ coefficients and histopathological changes of the rats were observed. The activities of alanine aminotransferase(ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase(AST) and the level of total bilirubin(TBIL) in the serum of rats were determined by colorimetry. The levels of malondialdehyde(MDA) and reduced glutathione(GSH), and the activities of glutathione peroxide(GSH-Px) and superoxide dismutase(SOD) were determined by colorimetry. The levels of interleukin(IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α) and interferon-γ(IFN-γ) was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: At the end of exposure, the increment of body mass of rats in the low-, medium-and high-dose crotonaldehyde groups was lower than that in the control group(P<0.05). The organ coefficients of rats in the middle-and high-dose groups were lower than that in the control group(P<0.05). The liver tissues of the three doses crotonaldehyde groups showed varying degrees of inflammatory cell infiltration. The activities of ALT, AST and the level of TBIL in the serum of rats increased with the increase of the crotonaldehyde exposure dose(P<0.01). With the increase of the crotonaldehyde dose, the level of MDA in rat liver tissue increased(P<0.01), and the level of GSH and the activities of GSH-Px and SOD decreased(P<0.01). The levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and IFN-γ in rat liver tissues increased(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Crotonaldehyde exposure can cause liver tissue damage in rats. Its mechanism of action may be related to the changes of oxidative balance and upregulation of the expression of inflammatory factors in liver tissue. These changes have the dose-effect relationship.