title: Cod liver oil in sodium nitrite induced hepatic injury: does it have a potential protective effect?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Exposure to sodium nitrites, a food additive, at high levels has been reported to produce reactive nitrogen and oxygen species that cause dysregulation of inflammatory responses and tissue injury. In this work, we examined the impact of dietary cod liver oil on sodium nitrite-induced inflammation in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-two adult male Sprague-Dawely rats were treated with 80 mg/kg sodium nitrite in presence/absence of 5 ml/kg cod liver oil. Liver sections were stained with hematoxylin/eosin. We measured hepatic tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin-1 beta (IL)-1β, C-reactive protein (CRP), transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, and caspase-3.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cod liver oil reduced sodium nitrite-induced hepatocyte damage. In addition, cod liver oil results in reduction of hepatic TNF-α, IL-1β, CRP, TGF-β1, and caspase-3 when compared with the sodium nitrite group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cod liver oil ameliorates sodium nitrite-induced hepatic injury via multiple mechanisms including blocking sodium nitrite-induced elevation of inflammatory cytokines, fibrosis mediators, and apoptosis markers.
authors.forename: I O
authors.initials: IO
authors.lastname: Sherif
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Al-Gayyar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003060:Cod Liver Oil / Q000737:chemistry*; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000473:pathology; D007249:Inflammation; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D026361:Reactive Nitrogen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D012977:Sodium Nitrite / Q000737:chemistry; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000378:metabolism; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D053583:Interleukin-1beta; D026361:Reactive Nitrogen Species; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D003060:Cod Liver Oil; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D053148:Caspase 3; D012977:Sodium Nitrite
keywords: C-reactive protein (CRP); Caspase-3; Interleukin (IL)-1β; Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1; and Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α