title: Pathophysiologic role of oxygen-free radicals in toxic damage of the liver.
abstract: The role of oxidative stress in toxic injury of the liver has been well documented. Molecular oxygen is indispensable for most of the living organisms but under specific conditions can be cytotoxic for all organisms. If oxygen concentration will be higher than its amount in the atmosphere, different pathological processes can occur in aerobic organisms. In normal hepatocytes, this physiologic oxidant stress is easily handled by mitochondrial defense. On the other hand, there are a lot of clinical indications to therapeutic application of both normobaric and hyperbaric hyperoxide processes. This work was undertaken to determine the influence of normobaric hyperoxide process on morphological structure of rat's hepatic cells. Furthermore, the aim of this study was to determine the degree of dependence between the time of hyperoxide process and morphological changes in the liver. The experiment was conducted on 44 male Wistar strain rats with initial body weight of 230-250 g. After acclimation period, the animals were gathered in experimental groups of 11 in a group. The exposure time of the influence of chemically pure oxygen was the base of the classification of rats into experimental groups labelled as follows: I, II, III. The time of exposure was 12, 24 and 48 hrs, respectively. The control groups also contained 11 animals. The animals were dissected immediately after decapitation. The whole liver was cut out. Fragments from the right central lobe and from the left lateral lobe of the liver were taken. The histological preparations were evaluated in electron microscope. In all the experimental groups adaptative and probably temporary histopathological changes were noted in the liver. The observed damages were probably reversible.
authors.affiliation: 1st Department of Surgery and Transplantology, Medical University of Lublin.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Janicki
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Radzikowska
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pietura
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Siezieniewska
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000648:ultrastructure; D018870:Endoplasmic Reticulum, Rough / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005609:Free Radicals / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010100:Oxygen / Q000008:administration & dosage; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D005609:Free Radicals; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D010100:Oxygen