Al-Attar Atef M, Al-Rethea Hayfa A
Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 139109, Jeddah 21323, Saudi Arabia.
Saudi J Biol Sci. 2017 May;24(4):956-965. doi: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2016.01.029. Epub 2016 Jan 21.
The current study was designed to investigate the possible protective effect of omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil on hepatic fibrosis induced by thioacetamide (TAA) in male rats. The experimental animals were divided into four groups. The first group was received saline solution and served as control. The second group was given 250 mg/kg body weight of TAA. The third group was treated with omega-3 fatty acids and TAA. The fourth group was given saline solution and supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids. Treatment of rats with TAA for three and six weeks resulted in a significant decrease in body weight gain, while the value of liver/body weight ratio was statistically increased. Furthermore, the levels of serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, gamma glutamyl transferase and total bilirubin were significantly increased. After three weeks of exposure to only TAA, liver sections showed an abnormal morphology characterized by noticeable fibrosis with the extracellular matrix collagen contents and damage of liver cells' structure. Liver sections from rats treated with only TAA for six weeks revealed an obvious increase in extracellular matrix collagen content and bridging fibrosis. Treating TAA-intoxicated rats with omega-3 fatty acids significantly attenuated the severe physiological and histopathological changes. Finally, the present investigation suggests that omega-3 fatty acids could act against hepatic fibrosis induced by TAA due to its antioxidant properties, thus supporting its use in hepatic fibrosis therapy.
本研究旨在探讨鱼油中的ω-3脂肪酸对硫代乙酰胺（TAA）诱导的雄性大鼠肝纤维化可能的保护作用。实验动物分为四组。第一组接受生理盐水，作为对照组。第二组给予250mg/kg体重的TAA。第三组用ω-3脂肪酸和TAA治疗。第四组给予生理盐水并补充ω-3脂肪酸。用TAA处理大鼠三周和六周后，体重增加显著下降，而肝/体重比值在统计学上有所增加。此外，血清丙氨酸氨基转移酶、天冬氨酸氨基转移酶、碱性磷酸酶、γ-谷氨酰转移酶和总胆红素水平显著升高。仅暴露于TAA三周后，肝脏切片显示出异常形态，其特征为明显的纤维化，伴有细胞外基质胶原蛋白含量增加和肝细胞结构损伤。仅用TAA处理六周的大鼠肝脏切片显示细胞外基质胶原蛋白含量明显增加和桥接纤维化。用ω-3脂肪酸治疗TAA中毒的大鼠可显著减轻严重的生理和组织病理学变化。最后，本研究表明，ω-3脂肪酸因其抗氧化特性可对抗TAA诱导的肝纤维化，从而支持其在肝纤维化治疗中的应用。
