Effect of D-003, a mixture of high molecular weight primary acids from sugar cane wax, on paracetamol-induced liver damage in rats.

D-003 is a mixture of very high molecular weight aliphatic primary acids purified from sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum, L) wax, in which the most abundant component is octacosanoic acid. Experimental studies have shown that D-003 not only shows cholesterol-lowering and antiplatelet effects, but also offers strong protection against plasma lipoprotein oxidation. Previous studies demonstrated that D-003 protected against the histological changes characteristic of Cl4C-induced hepatic injury in rats. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of D-003 in acute hepatotoxicity induced by paracetamol in rats. Male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly distributed in two experimental series of three experimental groups as follows: group 1--positive control rats (paracetamol-treated); groups 2 and 3--rats with liver damage induced by paracetamol and treated with D-003 at 5 and 25 mg/kg, respectively, and which also received paracetamol to induce liver injury. In experimental series 1, animals received paracetamol orally (600 mg/kg). In series 2, paracetamol was administered through the intraperitoneal route (200 mg/kg). Eighteen hours after paracetamol dosing, rats were anesthetized with ether and livers were removed for histopathological studies. In the two experimental series, D-003 at 5 and 25 mg/kg significantly (p < 0.01) decreased the percentage of turgent cells and hepatocytes with necrosis and increased the percentage of normal hepatocytes with respect to positive controls in a dose-dependent manner. Necrotic areas and inflammatory infiltrates were observed in the liver of nine out of ten (90%) positive controls. In turn, D-003 dramatically reduced both necrotic areas and inflammatory infiltrate and was present in only one out of ten (10%) animals treated in the two experimental series. No histological alterations in liver sections of negative controls were found. D-003 protected against the histological changes characteristic of paracetamol-induced hepatic injury in rats, in which the process of lipid peroxidation plays a major role. The relationship between this protective action of D-003 in this experimental model and its antioxidant effects needs to be further investigated before definitive conclusions are drawn.