Protective effect of curcumin on liver fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride in rats

Objective To investigate protective effect of curcumin on experimental liver fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride(CCl₄).Methods Totally 32 rats were randomly divided into four groups:normal control group(n=8),model group(n=8),silibinin group(n=8),and curcumin group(n=8).Apart from normal control group,the rats in other three groups were subcutaneously injected 40%CCl4 at the dose of 1.5 mL/kg twice a week for 8 successive weeks to establish liver fibrosis model.Then,the rats in curcumin group were intragastrically administered with 200 mg/kg curcumin;the rats in silibinin group were intragastrically administered with 150 mg/kg silibinin;and the rats in the model group and the control group were treated with physiological saline,respectively,once a day for five days.Liver tissues were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and Massion stain.Pathological changes of liver tissues were examined with micro-scopy and the degree of hepatic fibrosis was assessed with image analyze system.The liver samples were homogenized to examine the level of hydroxyproline(Hyp),superoxide dismutase(SOD)and malondialdehyde(MDA).Results Pathological examination revealed that collagen fibers in liver lobules decreased in the curcumin group compared with that in the model group.Compared to those of the model group,the contents of Hyp(0.87±0.21 vs.1.16±0.19 μg/mgprot)and MDA(3.95±0.30 vs.8.38±0.84 nmol/mgprot)decreased,and the content of SOD( 117.74±17.80 vs.79.50±14.60 U/mgprot)increased in curcumin group(P <0.01 for all)Conclusion Curcumin showed prophylactic effect on CCl₄-induced liver fibrosis in rats and the anti-fibrotic effect may be related to the inhibition of lipid peroxidation and the enhancement of the antioxidant ability.