Objective: To investigate whether alpha tocopherol (alpha-T) treatment influences liver cirrhosis induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in the rat.
Design: Laboratory experiment.
Setting: Teaching hospital, Turkey.
Subjects: Fifty rats were divided into three groups. Group I consisted of ten controls; Group II: twenty CCl4 induced cirrhotic rats and Group III: twenty cirrhotic rats treated with Vitamin E.
Interventions: Experimental cirrhosis was induced in rats by subcutaneous administration of 0.4 ml CCl4 (diluted 1:4 with olive oil) per kilogram body weight twice a week for 12 weeks.
Main outcome measures: Histopathologically evaluation of liver, liver malondialdehyde and glutathione peroxidase levels and aspartate aminotransferase (SGOT), alanine aminotransferase (SGPT) and gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) levels.
Results: Histopathologic evaluation of liver samples demonstrated cirrhotic changes in CCl4 treated groups. The enzyme levels in Group II were significantly increased (p < 0.05) but it was insignificantly lower in the alpha tocopherol treated group III. In Group II, statistically significant increase in liver malondialdehyde levels was determined (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that alpha-T administration may protect liver against CCl4 induced cirrhosis.