Protective effects of cerium oxide nanoparticles in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and carbon tetrachloride-induced liver damage in rats: Study on intestine and liver

Background and aims Nanoparticles could represent a therapeutic approach for the treatment of various diseases. It has been reported that cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO 2 NPs) have potential useful effects. Therefore, we aimed to examine the protective effects of the CeO 2 NPs in two models of liver injury, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 )-induced liver fibrosis, in rats. Methods In this experimental study, male rats were randomly divided into different experimental groups including: Experiment 1; group1: healthy rats received normal saline, 2: CCl 4 group, 3: CCl 4 + nanoparticle. Experiment 2; group1: healthy rats received chow diet, 2: NAFLD group, 3: NAFLD + nanoparticle. The oxidative stress markers were determined in the liver and intestine. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels were measured by ELISA. Histopathological changes of liver and intestine were evaluated by light microspore. Results Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and glutathione (GSH) levels significantly decreased, while malondialdehyde (MDA) and total oxidant status (TOS) were significantly increased in the liver, and intestine of the NAFLD and CCl 4 group compared with control rats. However, the use of nanoparticles significantly normalized these markers. The levels of the TNF-α were significantly reduced in the nanoparticle group as compared with NAFLD model and CCl 4 -treated rats. CeO 2 NPs also normalized the liver and intestinal histological changes. Conclusions Our finding revealed that CeO 2 NPs has potential protective effects by increasing antioxidant activity, and reducing inflammation.