The changes of endoplasmic reticulum and oxidative stress in rat chronic liver injury induced by carbon tetrachloride

Objective To investigate the expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) related genes and the changes of oxidative stress (OS) in the development of chronic liver injury induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in rats.Methods Male SD rats were randomly allocated to establish the model of chronic liver injury by administration of CCl4 intraperitoneally. The aspartate aminotransferase (ALT) and alanine aminotransferase (AST) in serum were analyzed. Additionally,histopathological changes and hepatocyte apoptosis were detected by HE and TUNEL methods. The expressions of GRP78,GRP94 and HO-1 were determined by RT-PCR. The activities of SOD,MDA and reduced-GSH were analyzed by biochemical methods. Results The rat model of chronic liver injury induced by CCl4 was successfully established. The level of ALT and AST in serum increased significantly compared with the control group,and a marked hepatic damage was confirmed. Simultaneously the expression of GRP78,GRP94 and HO-1 mRNA increased specifically. The elevation of MDA activity was detected,however,SOD and GSH reduced remarkably. Conclusion The elevated expression of relevant genes of ERS and the action of OS occurred after CCl4 treatment,which indicates both ERS and OS participate in the process of the chronic liver injury caused by CCl4 in rats.