Dehydroepiandrosterone prevents oxidative injury in obstructive jaundice in rats

We investigated the effect of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on oxidative injury in obstructive jaundice using three groups of rats: sham-operated group; common bile duct (CBD) group--the CBD was ligated; and DHEA group--DHEA administration followed CBD ligation. Liver function tests were performed using blood samples, and malondialdehyde concentration (MDA), superoxide dismutase activities (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and total glutathione (tGSH) concentrations were measured in liver tissue. Serum alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyltransferase and alanine aminotransferase activity were significantly elevated in the CBD group compared with the other groups. Serum aspartate aminotransferase and total bilirubin were highest in the CBD group; the MDA concentration was higher in the CBD group than the sham group. There were no significant differences in GPx activity among the groups. SOD activity and tGSH concentration were significantly lower in the CBD group than the other groups. DHEA may protect hepatic tissue against oxidative injury in obstructive jaundice by decreasing MDA concentration and increasing SOD activity and tGSH concentration.