title: Effect of exposure to silica in inducing autoimmune hepatitis: an experimental animal-controlled study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this experimental study is to investigate the effect of subcutaneous and oral sodium silicate in inducing the autoimmune hepatitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twelve Brown Norway rats were studied, six rats were challenged with Sodium Silicate and the rest were challenged with normal saline as a control group. At 14th week post-sodium silicate or normal saline exposure, the rats were sacrificed. Histopathological studies were conducted in six positive autoantibodies responding silicate group rats and then compared with an equal number of negative autoantibodies responding control rats.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The liver findings from sodium silicate group of animals showed a histopathological reaction in 3/6 (50%) compared with 0/6 of the corresponding control saline group (p = 0.09). However, the absolute differences in the percentage between the two groups was 50%, the subcutaneous sodium silicate sub-group showed hepatic tissue response close to being statistically significant level (p = 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  After correlating the results with autoantibodies including serum antinuclear antibodies and anti ribo-nucleoprotein response of the same rats, it is concluded that sodium silicate play a role in inducing the autoimmune hepatitis in a genetically susceptible rat model.
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Division, Department of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Hepatology Division, Department of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, Department of Biochemistry, Department of Immunology, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Department of Physiology; College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. almogairin@gmail.com.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Al-Mogairen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al Sheikh
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Husain
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Al Arfaj
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Al Swat
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hamdani
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hefnawy
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Al Mohimed
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Al Hammad
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Adam
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Gad El Rab
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Sheikh
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Meo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000097:blood; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D019693:Hepatitis, Autoimmune / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011914:Rats, Inbred BN; D017640:Silicates / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D001323:Autoantibodies; D017640:Silicates; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; C005691:sodium silicate