Effect of misoprostol in ethanol-induced liver injury

Prostaglandins appeared protective against acute experimental liver injury of different origin. Misoprostol, stable, orally active, synthetic derivative of PGE1 attenuates several functional alterations in liver mitochondria during ethanol administration. To study its possible hepatoprotective effects on ethanol-induced liver injury in rats we measured: serum activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) and concentrations of ammonia in blood and liver tissue. Histopathological evaluation of liver slices was also performed. Activities of both enzymes and ammonia values were elevated after intragastric ethanol administration for 60 days. Treatment for 30 days with misoprostol resulted in their decrease. This effect was not observed in the control group. Beneficial results were also obtained in histopathological evaluation of the liver tissue. These results indicate potential therapeutic effects of misoprostol on ethanol-induced liver injury in rats.