Effect of Carbon Tetrachloride (CCL4) on Liver in Adult Albino Rats: Histological study

Abstract

Background: The liver is a vital organ that plays a key role in the detoxification of endogenous and exogenous substances. Variety of pathological factors including viral hepatitis (especially hepatitis B and C), alcohol and drug abuse, metabolic diseases, autoimmune diseases and congenital abnormalities can cause hepatic injury. Chronic hepatic disease is quite common in daily clinical practice. Liver cirrhosis is the final stage of all chronic hepatic diseases. Liver transplantation is the treatment of choice for chronic liver failure, although, it faces several difficulties. Aim of the work: to evaluate the toxic effect of carbon tetrachloride (CCL4) on the liver structure. Materials and methods: Twenty male rats of average weight 200 grams and aged 6-8 weeks were included in this study. The Rats were divided into the following two groups: Group I (control group): ten male rats were subdivided into two subgroups, one of them acted as negative control and the other received the equivalent volume of the solvent olive oil. Group II (experimental group): ten male rats were injected intraperitoneally (IP) by CCL4 twice weekly for four weeks. Results: Histological examination of liver specimens showed that CCl4 caused patchy and variable pathological changes in the liver tissue along with significant increase in collagen fiber content. Conclusion: The induced liver fibrosis by CCL4 in rats showed markedly pathological effects on hepatic stroma and parenchyma.