title: The hepatoprotective effect of carnosine against ischemia/reperfusion liver injury in rats.
abstract: The potential protective effect of the natural antioxidant, carnosine was evaluated against ischemia/reperfusion liver injury in rats. Ischemia was induced by clamping the pedicle supplying the left hepatic lobe for 60 min followed by reperfusion for 2 h. Untreated rats exposed to ischemia/reperfusion showed significant elevation of serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels, and malondialdehyde level and caspase-3 activity in liver homogenates associated with significant reduction in hepatic nitrite level, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities as compared with sham-operated group. Pre-treatment with a single i.p. dose of carnosine (250 mg/kg), 30 min prior to the ischemic episode significantly attenuated the deterioration in the measured biochemical parameters observed with ischemia/reperfusion-induced liver injury. Also, light and electron microscopic examinations in ischemia/reperfusion untreated group revealed severe hepatic damage, such as cytoplasmic vacuolation, necrotic and apoptotic cell death, which was markedly ameliorated by pre-ischemic treatment with carnosine. These results strongly emphasize that carnosine can be useful as a prophylactic treatment to protect the liver against hypoxia-reoxygenation damage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Minia University, El-Minia, Egypt. amrfouad65@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Amr A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Fouad
authors.forename: Mahmoud Abdel-Aziz
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: El-Rehany
authors.forename: Hala K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Maghraby
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D002336:Carnosine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D007511:Ischemia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008099:Liver / Q000098:blood supply / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D009336:Necrosis; D010544:Peroxidases / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D002336:Carnosine; D010544:Peroxidases; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D053148:Caspase 3; D005978:Glutathione