title: The protective effects of ozone therapy in a rat model of acetaminophen-induced liver injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose may cause acute liver injury. Ozone therapy (OT) is shown to reduce inflammation and necrosis in several entities. Thus, we have designed this study to evaluate the efficacy of OT in a rat model of APAP-induced liver injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-seven Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups: sham, APAP and APAP+OT groups. In the APAP and the APAP+OT groups, liver injury was induced by oral administration of 1 g/kg APAP. The APAP+OT group received a single dose ozone/oxygen mixture (0.7 mg/kg) intraperitoneally 1h after APAP administration. All animals were killed at 24 hour after APAP administration. Blood samples and liver tissues were harvested to determine liver injury and oxidative stress parameters. Liver tissues and blood samples were obtained for biochemical and histopathological analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  APAP administration caused necrosis in the liver after 24h. The degrees of liver necrosis of the APAP group were higher than the other groups (in both p<0.05, respectively). In the APAP+OT group, liver antioxidant enzymes activities were significantly higher than the APAP group (p<0.05), but were lower than the sham group (p<0.05). In the sham group, serum neopterin, a marker of cell-mediated immunity, concentrations (4.8±1.2 nmol/L) were lower than the APAP (14.7±1.4 nmol/L) and APAP+OT groups (7.5±2.4 nmol/L) (in both p<0.05, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results showed that OT prevented liver necrosis in rats and reduced neopterin levels. These findings suggest that the use of OT as an adjuvant therapy which might improve the outcome in APAP induced liver injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Toxicology, Gulhane Military Medical Academy, Etlik, Ankara, Turkey. hgul23@gmail.com
authors.forename: Husamettin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gul
authors.forename: Bulent
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Uysal
authors.forename: Erdinc
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cakir
authors.forename: Halil
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yaman
authors.forename: Enis
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Macit
authors.forename: Ali Osman
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Yildirim
authors.forename: Yusuf Emrah
authors.initials: YE
authors.lastname: Eyi
authors.forename: Umit
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kaldirim
authors.forename: Emin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Oztas
authors.forename: Emin Ozgur
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Akgul
authors.forename: Tuncer
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cayci
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ozler
authors.forename: Turgut
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Topal
authors.forename: Sukru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oter
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Korkmaz
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Toygar
authors.forename: Suzi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Demirbag
mesh_terms: D000082:Acetaminophen / Q000633:toxicity*; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000378:metabolism; D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D009336:Necrosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D019798:Neopterin / Q000097:blood; D009566:Nitrates / Q000097:blood; D009573:Nitrites / Q000097:blood; D010126:Ozone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020011:Protective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic; D009566:Nitrates; D009573:Nitrites; D020011:Protective Agents; D000082:Acetaminophen; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D010126:Ozone; D019798:Neopterin; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase