Korean J Gastroenterol.  1998 Feb;31(2):233-240.

Relationship between Morphological Changes and the Level of Antioxidant Enzymes in Rat Hepatocytes after Bile Duct Obstruction

• Kim MW
• Park CG
• Kim YH
• Kim CW
• Lee MJ
• Yu KD
• Mo SW
• Kee KH
• Kim MC

Abstract

Background/AimsObstructive cholestasis has been known to cause heaptic injury, resulting in morphological change in the liver. Rats with biliary obstruction may be believed to be susceptible to oxidative stress and free radical related liver injury by the infiltration of inflammatory cells. Using biliary obstruction in rats, we studied the relationships between morphologic changes and the levels of antioxidant enzymes.
METHODS
The proximal portion of the common bile duct of Sprague-Dawley rats were ligated with silk. We observed morphological changes, estimated the antioxidant enzymes within the liver tissue, and assayed aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin, and alkaline phosphatase within serum at every week for 4 weeks.
RESULTS
After biliary obstruction, the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase gradually increased in rat liver. Histologically, proliferation of bile ductules and fibrosis developed 3 to 4 weeks later after ligation of common bile duct. Hepatic lobular destruction and severe portal triaditis were noted 2 weeks later.
CONCLUSIONS
Due to the increased activities of the antioxidant enzymes after biliary obstruction, it is believed that the oxygen free radicals play an important role in hepatic injury by cholestasis in rats, and that morphological changes may partially result from the release of oxygen free radicals by the inflammatory cells.

Keyword

Biliary obstruction; Antiocidant exzymes; Free radical; Liver

MeSH Terms

Alkaline Phosphatase
Animals
Aspartate Aminotransferases
Bile Ducts*
Bile*
Bilirubin
Catalase
Cholestasis*
Common Bile Duct
Fibrosis
Free Radicals
Glutathione Peroxidase
Hepatocytes*
Ligation
Liver
Oxidative Stress
Oxygen
Rats*
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Silk
Superoxide Dismutase
Alkaline Phosphatase
Aspartate Aminotransferases
Bilirubin
Catalase
Free Radicals
Glutathione Peroxidase
Oxygen
Silk
Superoxide Dismutase