Acta Medica Medianae
Vol. 50, No 2, Jun, 2011
UDK 61
ISSN 0365-4478(Printed version)
ISSN 1821-2794(Online)
 

Correspondence to:

Dragana Velicković

Institute of Physiology

Faculty of Medicine

Bul. Dr Zorana Djindjica 81

18000 Niš

E-mail: velickovicdr@gmail.com

Original article          

UDC: 612.35.015.1

doi:10.5633/amm.2011.0206

ENZYMOCHEMICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL CHANGES IN THE LIVER OF RATS INDUCED BY FURFURAL

 Dragana Veličković¹, Stevan Milenković² and Dalibor Stojanović²

Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Niš, Niš, Serbia¹

Faculty of Medicine, University of Niš, Niš, Serbia²

In today's industrial expansion of the chemical products, the liver is becoming increasingly important. Furfural (C4C3OCHO) is a colorless liquid with pleasant aroma and it is partially soluble in water (8, 3% of weight). The elimination of furfural is done slowly through the kidneys and lungs, while the liver oxidizes it into pyromucic acid (C4C3OCOOH). Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) is a multi-component system of gluconeogenesis. Biochemical parameters (AST, ALT, glucose, γ-GT and alkaline phosphatase) are important markers of liver damage.

The aim of our study was to analyze the function of hepatocytes using biochemical parameters and to show the dynamics and topography in the development of changes in enzyme activity.

The experiment was conducted on Wistar rats aged 6 weeks. The animals were divided into three groups. The control group received pure drinking water, the second group received a 50 mg/kg body weight (BW) dose of furfural for seven days and in the third group the dose was progressively increased after which the animals were sacrificed. Biochemical methods were used to determine the parameters of liver damage. Enzyme-histochemical tests were performed on 8nm WKF 1150 cryostat cross sections which were stained according to Pearse (1968). The results are presented tables and graphs.

The amount of enzymes and biochemical parameters in the control group were normal. In the group treated for 7 days, the activity of the enzymes was diffusely decreased while the biochemical parameters were increased. In the group of rats treated for 90 days, the periportal G6PD was constantly preserved. Biochemical parameters were different. The differences in all parameters were statistically significant (p<0.05) both in the group treated for 7 days and the group treated for 90 days. The same goes for the control group and the group treated for 7 days.

Acute treatment with furfural causes damage to liver functions.  The synthetic liver function is restored in chronic tests.  Acta Medica Medianae 2011;50(2):34-38.

 Key words: furfural, rat, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, biochemical parameters