Betaine supplementation mitigates intestinal barrier disintegrity and bacterial endotoxin translocation in cirrhotic rats

2020 
Abstract Gut barrier disintegrity and high serum bacterial endotoxin (Lipopolysaccharide; LPS) level is a prominent clinical challenge in cirrhotic patients. Several investigations mentioned the pivotal role of oxidative stress in this complication. Betaine (BET) is widely investigated for its physio/pharmacological properties. It has been found that BET mitigates oxidative stress in different experimental models. In the current study, the effects of BET supplementation (0.5 and 1% w: v, gavage) on biomarkers of oxidative stress, tissue histopathological alterations, and LPS translocation in cirrhotic rats was evaluated. Rats underwent bile duct ligation (BDL) and supplemented with BET for 28 consecutive days. Significant increase in ileum and colon reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation, oxidized glutathione (GSSG) levels, and protein carbonylation along with decreased antioxidant capacity and reduced glutathione (GSH) content were evident in BDL rats. Mitochondrial indices, including mitochondrial permeabilization, ATP content, and mitochondrial membrane potential were also significantly different in the intestine of BDL animals. Tissue histopathological alterations, as well as high serum LPS, were also detected in cirrhotic animals. It was found that BET significantly mitigated intestinal injury, and its associated complications in the cirrhotic rats probably bay ameliorating oxidative stress in the ileum and colon tissue.
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