Related Experiment Videos
Bile acids in rat serum as indicators of hepatotoxicity by hornet venom
M G Neuman1, J S Ishay, J Eschar
1Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel.
Abstract:
The effect of hornet venom sac extract (VSE) on hepatic function in rats was evaluated by measurement of bile acid (BA) levels. A significant dose-dependent elevation of BA in rat serum upon repeated VSE administration was found. Rats envenomed for 2 weeks showed a significant rise of serum BA compared with the controls or with rats envenomed for 6 days. In rats envenomed for 1 week and killed after another week without envenomation, an improvement of the biochemical status was observed. These observations demonstrated that BA levels reflect the VSE-induced hepatic injury. They suggest that the cholestatic effects of VSE may be due to an impairment of bile acid excretion, but the elevations could also reflect parenchymal hepatic injury.