The Change of Transforming Growth Factor-β1 Expression and the Effect of Vitamin E in the Acute Rat Liver Injury with Carbon Tetrachloride

Background/Aims : The evaluation of the relationship between oxidative stress induced by acute carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) administration and transforming growth factor-β 1 (TGF-β1), and the investigation of temporal patterns of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and TGF-β1 expression which may clarify the pathogenesis of CCl4 induced liver injury and thus the mechanism of liver fibrogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate TGF-β1 expression in rats with acute CCl4 injury and effect of vitamin E (vit. E) on TGF-β1 expression. Methods : Sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats had a single intraperitoneal injection of CCl4 of which 30 rats had daily intraperitoneal injection of vit. E. starting from 2 days before CCl4 treatment until the time of their sacrifice. The group of rats with CCl4 injection only was designated as group 1 and the group of rats with vit. E combined treatment was designated as group 2. Five rats from each group were sacrificed before and 8, 16, 32, 48, 60 hours after CCl4 injection, and their serum ALT, serum TGF-β 1 , and hepatic expression of TGF-β1 were examined. Results : The serum ALT levels were highest at 32 hours after CCl4 injection in both groups. Serum TGF-β1 levels did not show any statistically significant changes after CCl4 injection in both groups, and TFG-β1 expression in the livers was highest at 32 hours after CCl4 injection in both groups. In the multiple regression analysis of vit. E's effect on serum ALT levels, serum TGF-β1 levels and hepatic TGF-β1 expression, only serum ALT level (p=0.049) and hepatic TGF-β 1 expression (p=0.015) showed statistically significant suppression. Conclusion : Oxidative stress seems to play a role in the pathogenesis of hepatic fibrogenesis by increasing TGF-β1 expression in early acute liver damage, and vit. E may be effective in reducing acute liver injury and hepatic fiborgenesis.ope