Pentoxifylline Protects against Carbon Tetrachloride Induced Liver Injury in Adult Male Wistar Rat Model

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the protective effect of Pentoxifylline (PTX) in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced 
liver injury in adult male Wistar rat model. 
Study design: Experimental/Analytical study 
Place and Duration: Animal House, Isra University Hyderabad from May to December 2012. 
Subjects and Methods: Forty five adult male Wistar rats were divided into three groups; Group A. controls 
received 0.9% isotonic saline, Group B. received CCl4 orally (1.9mg/kg) mixed in olive oil, and Group C. received 
the PTX+ CCl4. Blood samples were collected for liver biochemical assays. The animals were sacrificed, liver 
tissue, after fixation in 4% formaldehyde, was embedded in paraffin. Tissue sections of 5μ thickness were subjected 
to haematoxylin and eosin staining and were assessed by light microscopy. The data was analyzed on SPSS 21.0 
using one-way ANOVA, Tukey-Cramer and Chi-square tests. A p-value of ≤ 0.05 was taken statistically significant.
Results: The liver biochemical and histological findings reveal statistically significant differences among the 
controls, CCl4 and PTX+ CCl4 groups (p=0.0001). Liver enzymes and histology was deranged significantly in CCl4 
group compared to controls and PTX+ CCl4 group (p=0.0001). The CCl4+PTX group shows less elevation of liver 
enzymes and derangement in liver histology when compared to CCl4 group (p=0.001). The histological findings of 
congestion, inflammatory cell infiltrate, vacuolar degeneration and necrosis are found prominent in CCl4 group. 
Conclusion: The Pentoxifylline protects against oxidative damages caused by carbon tetrachloride induced liver 
injury in rat model