Aim: Cholestatic liver diseases are characterized by failure of normal amounts of physiological bile to reach the gastrointestinal tract. The failure of bile salt excretion in cholestasis leads to retention of hydrophobic bile salts within the hepatocytes and causes intrahepatic oxidative stres, persistent inflammatory responce and necrosis. The aim of this study was to assess the anti-inflammatory effects of polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholine (PPC) on liver fibrosis induced by biliary obstruction in rats.
Methods: Liver fibrosis was induced in Swiss albino rats by bile duct ligation. Swiss albino rats were divided into 3 groups as follows: control group (group 1, 5 rats); rats with biliary obstruction (group 2, 10 rats); and polyunsaturated phophatidylcholine (PPC)-treated rats with biliary obstruction (Group 3, 10 rats). Biliary obstruction was induced by double ligation and division of the common bile duct. PPC treatment was started 2 weeks later from biliary obstruction in doses of 50 mg/d per rat and continued for 2 weeks. All animals were killed after 4 weeks of common bile duct ligation. Proinflammatory cytokine levels in hepatic tissues were determined by polymerase chain reaction.
Results: BDL increased their secretion of both hematopoietic (granulocyte/monocyte, colony stimulating factors) and proinflammatory (interleukins 1, 6, tumor necrosis factor alpha and transforming growth factor beta) cytokines based on PCR. Administration of PPC in the rats with biliary obstruction resulted in partial inhibition of increased levels of hematopoietic and proinflammatory cytokines.
Conclusion: These findings suggested that PPC can attenuate hepatic damage in extrahepatic cholestasis by preventing inflammatory process. This effect may be due to the inhibition of production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and inflammatory cells accumulation in the liver by PPC itself.
Key words: Biliary obstruction, Polyunsaturated phophatidylcholine, Pro-inflammatory cytokines
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