الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 175 |  |  |
| | | from | 175 | | |
Abstract
Background: Paracetamol overdose is a common cause of hepatotoxicity. Probiotics are live microorganisms that maintain a healthy gut microecology. Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) is a widely used probiotic. Our study aimed to assess the protective and therapeutic effects of probiotic LGG on paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity. Methods: 40 albino male rats were equally divided into; normal rats (vehicle), rats received probiotic LGG (probiotic control), rats received paracetamol (positive control), rats received probiotic LGG followed by paracetamol injection (prophylactic), and rats received paracetamol and were treated with probiotic LGG (therapeutic). Results: our study revealed that administration of probiotic LGG (either as prophylactic or therapeutic) exhibited a remarkable reduction in paracetamol-induced liver injury as resembled by the decrease in liver enzymes (ALT and AST) and the histopathological features of liver sections. Moreover, the significant reduction in the oxidative marker (malondialdehyde), along with the enhancement in glutathione reductase, and the significant reduction in inflammatory markers (nitric oxide and tumor necrosis factor-α), are all indicators of the efficiency of LGG in ameliorating the alterations accompanied with paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity. Our results also revealed that administration of LGG increased the expression of Nrf2 and PGC-1 expression and reduced the expression of protein kinase C (PKC). Therefore, enhancing the nuclear abundance of Nrf2 and eventually upregulating the expression of various antioxidants. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that probiotic LGG supplementation exerts a prophylactic and therapeutic effect against paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity through modulating the expression of PKC and the Nrf2/ PGC-1α signaling pathway and eventually suppressing oxidative damage from paracetamol overdose.