Liver weights, diet effects

In intermediate-duration studies, no effects on clinical chemistry indices of liver toxicity and no histopathological hepatic lesions were found in rats given 0.34 mg/kg/day (males) or 0.55 mg/kg/day (females) (Klotzsche 1972) or in mice given ().63 mg/kg/day (males) or 0.71 mg/kg/day (females) (Rivett et al. 1972) in the diet for 90 days. However, a slight increase in liver weight was observed in female mice at 0.71 mg/kg/day (Rivett at al. 1972). 

LeHoux and Grondin (1993) investigated the effects of chitosan on plasma and liver cholesterol levels, liver weight, and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase in rats fed on a sterol diet (1% cholesterol and 0.2% cholic acid). Chitosan at a level of 5% lowered plasma and liver cholesterol levels by 54% and 64%, respectively. High MW chitosan (>750 kDa) had less hypocholesterolemic potential than that of 70 kDa. 

Figure 22.2. Effect of DHA on liver weights and white adipose tissue (WAT) weights in diet-induced lipodystrophy model mice.

PCDEs 99,153, and 184 have also been considered as moderately toxic in rats [82]. PCDEs 99 and 153 are di-orfho-chlorinated and PCDE 184 is tetra-ortho-chlorinated. The toxicity of PCDEs 99, 153, and 184 was studied in a 28 day study by feeding rats with 4 doses 0.5,5.0,50, and 500 mg kg1. The highest dose caused decreased food consumption and increased liver weights. The no-observ-able-effects-levels (NOEL) of these PCDE congeners were 5-50 mg kg-1 in diet. 

The effect of dietary sesamin and sesaminol on the ethanol-induced modulation of immune indices related to food allergy has also been studied. Although chronic ethanol drinking would increase the plasma IgA, IgM, and IgG concentrations, 0.2% sesamin in the diet could suppress this increase of IgA and IgM, whereas sesaminol was not effective. In addition, the increase in relative liver weight because of ethanol consumption was alleviated by dietary supplementation of sesamin but not by sesaminol (154). 

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