Attenuation by boron supplementation of the biochemical changes associated with thioacetamide‐induced hepatic lesions

Acute hepatic failure is a severe complication induced by certain chemicals, drugs, or virus. Thioacetamide generally has been used for the study of hepatic failure in experimental animal model. The present study was aimed at to examine the role of boron in the pathogenesis of acute hepatic failure in rats. A single intraperitoneal injection of thioacetamide produced severe liver injury, as manifested by elevation in serum aminotransferases, alkaline phosphatase, and hepatic lipid peroxidation. Boron, when administered in the form of boric acid for three consecutive days followed by thioace-tamide, attenuated thioacetamide-mediated changes in the level of these biochemical parameters in a dose-dependent manner. The effect of boron supplementation on the survival rates of rats treated with a lethal dose of thioacetamide was also determined and found to lower the mortality rates in the group of animals supplemented with boron followed by thioacetmide. The effects on biochemical parameters and the survival rates were dependent on the dose of boron administered as boric acid. It is concluded that boron provides protection against the thioacetamide-induced acute hepatic failure in rats in a dose-dependent manner. J. Trace Elem. Exp. Med. 15: 47–55, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.