Coffee intake has been inversely related to the incidence of liver diseases, although there are controversies on whether these beneficial effects on human health are because of caffeine or other specific components in this popular beverage. Thus, this study evaluated the protective effects of coffee or caffeine intake on liver injury induced by repeated thioacetamide (TAA) administration in male Wistar rats. Rats were randomized into five groups: one untreated group (G1) and four groups (G2-G5) treated with the hepatotoxicant TAA (200 mg/kg b.w., i.p.) twice a week for 8 weeks. Concomitantly, rats received tap water (G1 and G2), conventional coffee (G3), decaffeinated coffee (G4) or 0.1% caffeine (G5). After 8 weeks of treatment, rats were killed and blood and liver samples were collected. Conventional and decaffeinated coffee and caffeine intake significantly reduced serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (p < 0.001) and oxidized glutathione (p < 0.05), fibrosis/inflammation scores (p < 0.001), collagen volume fraction (p < 0.01) and transforming growth factor b-1 (TGF-b1) protein expression (p 0.001) in the liver from TAA-treated groups. In addition, conventional coffee and caffeine intake significantly reduced proliferating cellular nuclear antigen (PCNA) S-phase indexes (p < 0.001), but only conventional coffee reduced cleaved caspase-3 indexes (p < 0.001), active metalloproteinase 2 (p 0.004) and the number of glutathione S-transferase placental form (GST-P)-positive preneoplastic lesions (p < 0.05) in the liver from TAA-treated groups. In conclusion, conventional coffee and 0.1% caffeine intake presented better beneficial effects than decaffeinated coffee against liver injury induced by TAA in male Wistar rats.

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The steady increase in the incidence and mortality of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) signifies a crucial need to understand better its pathogenesis to improve clinical management and prevention of the disease. The aim of this study was to investigate molecular mechanisms for the chemopreventive effects of folic acid and tributyrin alone or in combination on rat hepatocarcinogenesis. Male Wistar rats were subjected to a classic “resistant hepatocyte” model of liver carcinogenesis and treated with folic acid and tributyrin alone or in combination for 5 weeks during promotion stage. Treatment with folic acid and tributyrin alone or in combination strongly inhibited the development of glutathione-S-transferase placental form (GSTP)-positive foci. Microarray analysis showed significant changes in gene expression. A total of 501, 655, and 940 of differentially expressed genes, involved in cell cycle, p53-signaling, angiogenesis, and Wnt pathways, was identified in the livers of rats treated with folic acid, tributyrin or folic acid and tributyrin. A detailed analysis of these differentially expressed genes revealed that treatments inhibited angiogenesis in the preneoplastic livers. This was evidenced by the fact that 30 out of 77 differentially expressed genes common to all three treatments are involved in the regulation of the angiogenesis pathway. The inhibition of angiogenesis was confirmed by reduced levels of CD34 protein. In conclusion, the tumor-suppressing activity of folic acid and tributyrin is associated with inhibition of angiogenesis at early stages of rat liver carcinogenesis. Importantly, the combination of folic acid and tributyrin has stronger chemopreventive effect than each of the compounds alone.

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The chronic ethanol intake influence on the gluthatione S-transferase (GST-P) and transforming growth factor α α α α (TGF-α α α α) expression in remodeling/persistent preneoplastic lesions (PNLs) was evaluated in the resistant hepatocyte model. Male Wistar rats were allocated into five groups: G1, non-treated, fed water and chow ad libitum; G2, non-treated and pair-fed chow (restricted to match that of G3 group) and a maltodextrin (MD) solution in tap water (matched ethanol-derived calories); G3, fed 5% ethanol in drinking water and chow ad libitum; G4, diethylnitrosamine (DEN, 200 mg/kg, body weight) plus 200 parts per million of 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF) for 3 weeks and pair-fed chow (restricted to match that of G5 group) and an MD solution in tap water (matched ethanol-derived calories); G5, DEN/2-AAF treatment, fed ethanol 5% and chow ad libitum. All animals were subjected to 70% partial hepatectomy at week 3 and sacrificed at weeks 12 or 22, respectively. Liver samples were collected for histological analysis or immunohistochemical expression of GST-P, TGF-α α α α and proliferating cell nuclear antigen or zymography for matrix metalloproteinases-2 and -9. At the end of ethanol treatment, there was a significant increase in the percentage of liver area occupied by persistent GST-P-positive PNLs, the number of TGF-α α α α-positive PNLs and the development of liver tumors in ethanol-fed and DEN/2-AAF-treated groups (G5 versus G4, P < < < < 0.001). In addition, ethanol feeding led to a significant increase in cell proliferation mainly in remodeling and persistent PNLs with immunoreactivity for TGF-α α α α at week 22 (P < E thanol consumption is a widespread habit, especially in the western world, with imperative familial and socioeconomic effects. Various studies have shown that chronic ethanol abuse increases the risk of developing cancer of the breast, liver, pancreas, colon and the upper aerial-digestive tract.<(1-4) Alcohol is a known risk factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), mainly in patients infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) who drink heavily.(1,3) However, a direct correlation between alcohol consumption and the development of HCC in humans remains inconclusive.The hepatocyte represents the major site of ethanol metabolism using three main pathways, including alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), inducible CYP2E1 and catalase enzymes, leading to the generation of acetaldehyde and reactive oxygen and nitrogen species.(5,6) These free radicals can bind rapidly to cell constituents, including DNA, lipids and proteins, raising mainly oxidative DNA damage, lipid peroxidation, protein impairment and depletion of many antioxidant systems, including reductions in glutathione, vitamin E and phosphatidylcholine. (6,7) In addition, acetaldehyde is highly toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic (8,9) and the induction of CYP2E1 has been demonstrated to enhance the activation of many xenobiotics, among them diethylnitrosamine (DEN), a known carcinogen, genotoxic to the liver, present in many al...