The Use of Chitosan-Coated Nanovesicles in Repairing Alcohol-Induced Damage of Liver Cells in Mice

Abstract

Background and Objectives In the past few decades, the studies concerning the natural polysaccharide chitosan have been centered on a new direction: its hepatoprotective action. The aim of our study was to evaluate the influence of previously designed chitosan lipid vesicles on the liver damage induced by alcohol consumption in mice. Materials and Methods The study involved the oral administration of substances in one daily dose as follows: Group 1 (control): water; Group 2 (control alcohol): 5% alcohol in water; Group 3 (CHIT): 0.1 mL/10 g body weight chitosan solution in animals treated with alcohol; Group 4 (CHIT-ves): 0.1 mL/10 g body chitosan vesicles in animals treated with alcohol; Group 5 (AcA): 200 mg/kg body ascorbic acid in animals treated with alcohol. In order to evaluate liver damage after alcohol consumption, the following hematological parameters were tested: the activity of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase; serum values of urea and creatinine; the phagocytic capacity of polymorphonuclear neutrophilsin peripheral blood;serum opsonic capacity;bactericidal capacity of peritoneal macrophages; and the activity of malondialdehyde, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and lactate dehydrogenase. Results and Conclusion The treatment with chitosan vesicles decreased liver enzyme activity and reduced the oxidative stress disturbances in alcoholic mice, thus repairing the hepatic functional and structural damages. These beneficial activities of chitosan vesicles were comparable with ascorbic acid effects in alcoholic mice.

Fast and Sustained Axonal Growth by BDNF Released from Chitosan Microspheres

“…Chitosan is a copolymer of N-acetylglucosamine and glucosamine obtained from the deacetylation of chitin, a structural component of arthropod exoskeletons, fungal cell walls or fish scales, and it has several applications in biomedicine [ 8 ]. Some chitosan formulations have been used to encapsulate drugs and evade phagocytic uptake by reducing opsonization by blood proteins, thereby increasing drug bioavailability [ 9 ].…”

Protective Effects of Wine Polyphenols on Oxidative Stress and Hepatotoxicity Induced by Acrylamide in Rats

“…While moderate wine intake is associated with significant health benefits, excessive alcohol consumption is considered a major risk factor for many diseases (including alcoholic liver disease, cirrhosis of the liver and cancer) and deaths among adults [ 1 , 6 , 8 ]. Alcohol, consumed in excess, exerts toxic effects on the hepatocellular level and free radicals generated in excess from hepatocyte destruction cause alteration of proteins and lipids, with the consequence of intensification of oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation, and, overall, a negative effect on the cellular antioxidant defense system [ 9 , 10 , 11 ]. Therefore, oxidative stress plays a key role in the pathophysiological processes that underlie liver damage related to excessive alcohol consumption [ 9 , 10 ].…”

“…Alcohol, consumed in excess, exerts toxic effects on the hepatocellular level and free radicals generated in excess from hepatocyte destruction cause alteration of proteins and lipids, with the consequence of intensification of oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation, and, overall, a negative effect on the cellular antioxidant defense system [ 9 , 10 , 11 ]. Therefore, oxidative stress plays a key role in the pathophysiological processes that underlie liver damage related to excessive alcohol consumption [ 9 , 10 ]. However, the results of several studies associate regular consumption of wine in moderate amounts with beneficial cardiovascular effects and a low incidence of deaths from atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease, effects related to increased levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), but which have not always been confirmed in the case of white wine [ 2 , 6 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ].…”