Comparative Study between the Effect of Atorvastatin and Naltrexone on Hepatic Fibrosis Induced by Bile Duct Ligation in Rats

Hepatic fibrosis is one of the common pathological features of chronic liver disease. Atorvastatin and naltrexone previously showed a beneficial effect on hepatic fibrosis. In the present study, we compared the effect of atorvastatin and naltrexone on a rat model of hepatic fibrosis induced by BDL. Methods: This study was carried out on 4 groups each of 10 albino rats; Group 1: Sham operated group, Group 2: BDL group + No treatment, Group 3: BDL + Atorvastatin orally for 4 weeks and Group 4: BDL + Naltrexone SC for 4 weeks. Serum bilirubin, ALT, AST, ALP and hyaluronic acid and hepatic hydroxyproline content, GSH, GSH/GSSG ratio and TNF-α level were measured. Histopathological examination of the liver tissue was performed. Results: Treatment with either atorvastatin or naltrexone showed significant increase in hepatic GSH and hepatic GSH/GSSG ratio with significant decrease in serum hyaluronic acid and hepatic hydroxyproline content and TNF-α and improvement of histopathological picture of hepatic tissue. Also, naltrexone produced significant decrease in serum total bilirubin, AST, ALT and ALP while atorvastatin showed significant increase in their levels. Moreover, treatment with naltrexone showed significant reduction in serum hyaluronic acid level and more improvement in the histopathological picture of hepatic tissue than atorvastatin. Conclusion: Naltrexone is more effective than atorvastatin in attenuation of BDL induced hepatic fibrosis and both could be of beneficial effects in treatment of liver fibrosis in clinical practice. [Mohamed Nabih Abdel Rahman. Comparative Study between the Effect of Atorvastatin and Naltrexone on Hepatic Fibrosis Induced by Bile Duct Ligation in Rats. J Am Sci 2012; 8(8):64-69]. (ISSN: 1545-1003). http://www.jofamericanscience.org. 10