Morphological changes in the liver of experimental animals in the early stages after correction of exposure to high doses of paracetamol

Abstract

Introduction. Acetaminophen exhibits hepatotoxicity in overdose, which is the leading cause of drug-induced liver failure. The aim of the research was to study early morphological changes in the liver of experimental animals under the influence of high doses of paracetamol and after correction with hepatoprotectors. Materials and methods. The corrective effect of various drugs - ademetionine, ethylmethylhydroxypyridine succinate and oxymethyluracil after exposure to high doses of acetaminophen was studied. Acetaminophen was administered to experimental rats once intragastrically at a dose of 1 g/kg, animals received hepatoprotectors twice (after 1 and 24 hours) or four times (after 1, 24, 48, 72 hours) after the toxicant. Morphological studies of the liver of experimental animals were carried out. Results. Pathomorphological changes were revealed on rat liver preparations after exposure to paracetamol, the most pronounced after 72 hours of exposure. Oxymethyluracil has a protective effect on the structure of the liver during acute exposure to high doses of paracetamol, comparable to the well-known drugs “Heptor” and “Mexidol”. In addition, the protective effect of oxymethyluracil appears earlier. Limitations. Morphological studies of the liver of 90 white male rats were carried out for studying the corrective action of hepatoprotectors after acute exposure to high doses of acetaminophen and after double (after 1 and 24 hours) or quadruple (after 1, 24, 48, 72 hours) administration of ademethionine, ethylmethylhydroxypyridine succinate and oxymethyluracil, which allowed to determine an effective means to reduce the toxic effect of paracetamol on the liver. Conclusion. The data obtained may have a certain practical value in terms of the prospective use of oxymethyluracil as an additional effective agent for reducing the toxic effect of paracetamol.