CYTOPROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF ALPHA-TOCOPHEROL AGAINST LIVER-INJURY INDUCED BY EXTRAHEPATIC BILIARY OBSTRUCTION

There are several important aetiologies of extrahepatic biliary obstru ction (EBO), If EBO is surgically reconstructed in th(: critical time period,liver damage can be halted or reversed. In this golden period,l ipid peroxidations significantly intensify liver defects. We hypothesi sed that alpha tocopherol (alpha-T) could protect the liver from the d amage caused by response to EBO, In standard conditions, albino rats o f Wistar strain were divided into two groups. All rats underwent doubl e ligations and divisions of common bile ducts (CBD), One of these gro ups received alpha-T (CBDL-alpha-T). The other CBDL animals received i ntramuscular injections of normal saline (CBDL-NS), Serum samples were taken for biochemical analyses by light microscopy, The data showed a decrease in plasma bilirubin and liver enzyme levels in CBDL-alpha-T group, when compared with CBDL-NS (p<0.05). Morphologic analyses showe d better results for CBD-alpha-T, Serum levels of Malonyldialdehyd (MD A) in the CBDL-alpha-T group was 9.2+/-3.4 nmol/g compared to that in CBDL-NS, 12.3+/-4.4 nmol/g (p<0.05). In conclusion, a dramatic protect ive effect of alpha-T on functional and structural features of the liv er in rats with EBO was demonstrated. The data suggest that EBO may ca use liver damage by stimulation of lipid peroxidation and that alpha-T may slow down liver damage in this setting.