Ursodeoxycholic acid treatment improves hepatocyte ultrastructure in rat liver fibrosis.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the ultrastructural changes after ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) treatment in hepatocytes from experimentally induced fibrotic livers.


METHODS
Liver fibrosis was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats with CCl4 for 12 wk, and the rats were divided into two groups. Group I was treated with saline and group II with UDCA (25 mg/kg per day) for 4 wk. All the rats were killed at wk 16. Mitochondria, nuclei, rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) and smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) of hepatocytes were evaluated according to a scoring system.


RESULTS
Mitochondria, nuclei, RER and SER injury scores in group II were significantly lower than those in group I (P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
UDCA alleviates hepatocyte organelle injury in CCl4-induced liver fibrosis.
Mas
Nuket
N
Department of Anatomy, Kocatepe University, School of Medicine, Afyon, Turkey.
Tasci
Ilker
I
Comert
Bilgin
B
Ocal
Ramazan
R
Mas
Mehmet Refik
MR
D000818:Animals; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride / Q000633:toxicity; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D015388:Organelles / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014580:Ursodeoxycholic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*
D014580:Ursodeoxycholic Acid; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride