Gastric emptying in rats with acetaminophen-induced hepatitis

Abstract

The objective of this work was to study the gastric emptying (GE) of liquids in fasted and sucrose-fed rats with toxic hepatitis induced by acetaminophen. The GE of three test meals (saline, glucose and mayonnaise) was evaluated in Wistar rats. For each meal, the animals were divided into two groups (N = 24 each). Group I was fed a sucrose diet throughout the experiment (66 h) while group II was fasted. Fortytwo hours after the start of the experiment, each group was divided into two subgroups (N = 12 each). Subgroup A received a placebo and subgroup B was given acetaminophen (1 g/kg). Twenty-four hours later, the GE of the three test meals was assessed and blood samples were collected to measure the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and acetaminophen. In group IB, the mean AST and ALT values were 515 and 263 IU/l, respectively, while for group IIB they were 4014 and 2472 IU/l, respectively. The mean serum acetaminophen levels were higher in group IIB (120 µg/ml) than in group IB (87 µg/ml). The gastric retention values were significantly higher in group IIB than in group IIA for all three test meals: saline, 51 vs 35%; glucose, 52 vs 38% and mayonnaise, 51 vs 29% (median values). The correlation between gastric retention and AST levels was significant (P<0.05) for group IIB for the three test meals: r = 0.73, 0.67 and 0.68 for saline, glucose and mayonnaise, respectively. We conclude that GE is altered in rats with hepatic lesions induced by acetaminophen, and that these alterations may be related to the liver cell necrosis caused by the drug. Correspondence

Safety Evaluation of an Oak-Flavored Milk Powder Containing Ellagitannins upon Oral Administration in the Rat

“…In contrast to ALT, AST is less specific for hepatic tissue because it could be present also in muscle (35). Hepatic injury has been described with elevation >10-fold in serum AST activity in rats with acetaminophen-induced toxic hepatitis (39). In the present study, the highest ALT values were observed in the oak-flavored milk powder, although within NVR, supporting the lack of liver injury (Table 3).…”

“…Hepatocellular injury is suspected with 10-or 20-fold increases of this enzyme. For example, a >20-fold increase in serum ALT activity has been reported in rats with acetaminophen-induced toxic hepatitis (39). On the other hand, 2-3-fold increases could be produced by hemolysis or slight muscle damage (35).…”

Effect of antipyrine on the gastric emptying of liquid in rats

“…Among the effects of these medications, changes in GE have been reported to be induced by aspirin, acetaminophen and indomethacin (2)(3)(4)(5)(6). Dipyrone (Dp), a phenylpyrazolone derivative mainly used for its antipyretic and analgesic properties, causes delayed GE in rats when administered at high doses (7).…”