Significance of oxidative stress in liver damage of male and female rats with simulated ethanol hepatitis.

OBJECTIVE

Aim: to find out the gender characteristics of oxidative mechanisms of liver damage in rats with ethanol hepatitis (EH).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Materials and Methods: The study was performed on 48 white male and female rats: 1 - control, 2 - acute EH (12,5 ml/kg of a 40% ethanol solution prepared on 5% solution of glucose for 7 days).The diene and triene conjugates (DC, TC), Schiff's bases (SB), TBA-active products (TBA-ap), activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were determined in the blood serum. A morphological study of liver was carried out.

RESULTS

Results: In control males higher values of DC by 8,8%, TC by 7,0%, SB by 7,6%, and SOD by 31,3% were found, females - CAT by 33,8%. An increase in DC, TC, TBA-ap and SB in blood serum of rats was noted during ethanol hepatitis. Thus, the content of DC in male rats increased by 2,6 times, TC - by 65,7%, TBA-ap - by 2,7 times, SB - by 2,8 times; in female, respectively, by 2,3 times, 83,4%, 2,2 times, and 3.4 times. In males with hepatitis, only DC indicators exceeded those in females by 17,6%. In males, the SOD increased by 55,1 %, and in females by 2,0 times. CAT increased 77,0 % in males and 88,9 % in females. Morphological changes confirm more damage to the liver of female rats than males.

CONCLUSION

Conclusions: In rats with simulated EH, liver damage occurs by an oxidative mechanism, which depends on gender, and more expressed in the female's liver.