Defensive effects of polyprenols in a model of subacute hepatosis with encephalopathy in rats

Ropren is 95% concentrate of polyprenols, it is produced from needles of pine and fir trees, it is recommended as a hepatoprotective drug of plant origin. The aim of the paper was to assess hepatoprotective and neuroprotective effects of ropren in a model of subacute hepatosis induced by in CCI 4 rats. A subacute hepatosis (dystrophy of the liver) was modeled in rats by means of 2-fold i.p. administration of CCI 4 (2 injections of 1 g/kg with the interval of 3 days). Ropren (2.15-4.3- 11.6 mg/kg) was injected i.p. within 2 weeks. After course of ropren administration, the behavior of rats, biochemical indexes of the blood, morphology of the liver and turnover of monoamines in the brain were studied. The drug of comparison was heptral, or ademethionine (300 mg/kg). Administration of hepatotropic poison CCI 4 led to 50% letality of rats. The significant shifts of behavior in open field, elevated plus maze, intruder-resident and Porsolt's tests were registered in survived rats. In the serum blood of rats decapitated on 16th day, the signs of damage of the liver, pancreatic gland and kidney were observed. The histological study revealed the experimental hepatosis (dystrophy of the liver) which was characterized with gialin-dropped protein dystrophy, little-dropped fat dystrophy and slight lymphocyte infiltration of portal ways. There were not changes in turnover of dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin in the n.accumbens, striatum and frontal cortex of the brain after administration of CCI 4. In different tests, ropren (2.15-4.3-11.6 mg/kg) normalized behavior disturbed by administration of CCI 4, improved blood and liver indexes in rats with subacute hepatosis and acted as psychostimulant on the brain, changing the activity of mesolimbic and nigrostriatal dopaminergic system (activation of dopamine turnover in the n.accumbens and decrease of it in the striatum). In behavioral tests, the maximal activity of ropren was registered in low (2.15 mg/kg) and middle (4.3 mg/kg) doses whereas the maximal hepatoprotective effect was observed in dose 11.6 mg/kg.The latter was the same as after administration of heptral (300 mg/kg). Heptral did not reveal practically the central effects. Therefore, ropren possesses significant hepatoprotective and neuroprotective effects in a large scale of doses.

ropren, polyprenols, heptral, behavior, hepatosis, monoamines, hepatoprotection, neuroprotection