ROLE OF NUTRITIONAL FATTY-ACID AND L-CARNITINE IN THE FINAL OUTCOME OF THIOACETAMIDE HEPATOTOXICITY

Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 10/group) were fully protected from a le thal dose (600 mg/kg, i.p.) of thioacetamide by adding 8% (w/w) palmit ic acid to the diet and L-carnitine (2 mg/ml) to drinking water for th e previous 7 days. Supplements of palmitic acid or L-carnitine alone d id not confer protection. Liver injury induced by thioacetamide peaked between 36 and 48 h in both control and supplemented rats. Liver dama ge regressed thereafter in supplemented rats but progressed in control rats. Immunohistochemical and histopathological observations confirme d biochemical indicators of liver damage. Thus, hepatic tissue repair after thioacetamide-induced tissue injury seems to be stimulated by su pplements of fatty acids together with L-carnitine, a mitochondrial tr ansfer agent. The extent to which nutritional supplements may aid in i nducing the recovery of liver from injury caused by other hepatotoxic agents remains to be explored.