Protective effects of silica hydride against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity in mice

The protective effects of MegaHydrate (TM) silica hydride against liver damage were evaluated by its attenuation of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatotoxicity in mice. Male ICR mice were orally treated with silica hydride (104, 208 and 520 mg/kg) or silymarin (200 mg/kg) daily, with administration of CCl4 (1 mL/kg, 20% CCl4 in olive oil) twice a week for eight weeks. The results showed that oral administration of silica hydride significantly reduced the elevated serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), triglyceride (TG), and cholesterol and the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the liver that were induced by CCl4 in mice. Moreover, the silica-hydride treatment was also found to significantly increase the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), as well as increase the GSH content, in the liver. Liver histopathology also showed that silica hydride reduced the incidence of liver lesions induced by CCl4. The results suggest that silica hydride exhibits potent hepatoprotective effects on CCl4-induced liver damage in mice, likely due to both the increase of antioxidant-defense system activity and the inhibition of lipid peroxidation. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.