This study was conducted to determine the effects of vitamin C on the activity of liver function enzymes and electromicrographic changes in white rats treated with aflatoxin B1(AFB1) or X-ray and AFB1. Six week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups: a control group, AFB1 treated group, AFB1 treated group with vitamin C, X-ray and AFB1 co-treated group, X-ray and AFB1 co-treated group with vitamin C. On the first day of the experiment, only one dose of X-rays was exposed to the entire liver at 1, 500 cGy. Next, vitamin C was injected at 10㎎/㎏body weight by intraperitoneal injection, followed 1 hr later by the administration of 0.4㎎/㎏of AFB1 by intraperitoneal injection. These treatments were then administered every three days over a period of 15 days. On the 16th day of treatments, the animals were sacrificed. Analysis of the activity of the liver function enzymes, GOT, ALK phatase and LDH, in the sera of rats revealed that they were somewhat increased by AFB1 treatment, X-ray and AFB1 co-treatment when compared to the control group. Furthermore, the activity of these enzymes decreased in response to administration of vitamin C. Especially, the levels of GOT were remarkably decreased in the AFB1 treated group treated with vitamin C when compared to the group treated with AFB1 alone(p<0.001). Electromicrographic analysis revealed cloudy swelling, necrosis, vesicular degeneration and fat accumulation of hepatocytes in response to treatment with AFB1 or co-treatment with X-ray and AFB1. However, the destruction of hepatic cells was considerably lower in the vitamin C-treated group. These results indicate that vitamin C had ameliorating effects on the hepatic cell damage.

• 변진원 | Jin Won Pyun