Liver damage induced by acute cholestasis in the rat is ameliorated partially by L-arginine

The aim of this paper was to determine if NO modulation would influence liver damage induced by 3 day-biliary obstruction. L-Arginine (500 mg kg-1, p.o. twice a day) or L-NAME (100 mg kg-1, p.o. twice a day) or both were administered to male Wistar rats subjected to bile duct ligation (BDL). In the liver, BDL doubled lipid peroxidation and depleted glycogen (P < 0.05), L-arginine completely prevented the former and partially the latter. Alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase serum enzyme activities increased (P < 0.05) by BDL, again L-arginine treatment partially, but significantly, prevented the elevation in these three markers of liver damage. Although L-NAME treatment failed to induce a change in any marker of liver injury studied herein, it abolished the beneficial effects of L-arginine, suggesting that these effects are probably mediated by NO synthesis stimulation.