Hepatic
fibrosis represents the main complication of most chronic liver disorders and, regardless of its etiology, is characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix components. In this study, we examined that
1-O-Hexyl-2,3,5-Trimethylhydroquinone (HTHQ) , a potent anti-oxidative agent, could prevent experimental hepatic
fibrosis induced by
dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) in male SD rats. Except for vehicle control group, other groups were induced hepatic
fibrosis by
intraperitoneal injection with DMN (10 mg/ml/kg) on 3 consecutive days weekly for 4 weeks. During the same 4 weeks, control and DMN groups were given vehicle and HTHQ 50, 100 and 200 groups were orally administered HTHQ (50, 100, 200 mg/kg respectively) . In HTHQ 100 and 200 groups, relative liver weight and serum chemistry level improved significantly. HTHQ reduced
hydroxyproline (p < 0.05) and
malondialdehyde (p < 0.05) level in the liver. Histopathological examination of H&E, Masson's
trichrome stain showed the reduced fibrotic septa in HTHQ 100 and 200 groups. HTHQ administration showed reduced
mRNA level of PDGF (Plateletderived
growth factor) , α-SMA (α-smooth muscle actin) and TGF-β (
transforming growth factor-β) than DMN-induced hepetic
fibrosis animals in the liver tissue. In this study, we showed that HTHQ improves against DMN-induced
liver fibrosis in male SD rats.