Hepatic stimulator substance administration affects cadmium-induced hepatotoxicity in the rat

The effect of hepatic stimulator substance (HSS) administration on cadmium (Cd) induced hepatotoxicity was studied in the rat. HSS was extracted from the liver of weanling rats (Hepatology 1988; 7: 100–106). Rats were injected with 2.5 mg CdCl 2 /kg body weight to induce acute liver injury, evaluated 24 h later. Serum enzyme activities of alanine amino-transferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and histological parameters were used for the estimation of Cd-induced hepatotoxicity. HSS, at doses of 10, 20 and 40 mg protein/kg body weight, injected 10 h after Cd administration, caused dose-dependent decrease of hepatic injury. HSS suppressed the elevation of AST and ALT induced by Cd, in a dose-dependent manner. Liver histological changes indicated that HSS reduced the severity of hepatic lesion induced by Cd administration and reversed Cd-induced hepatotoxicity. In conclusion, our results suggest that HSS administration protects the liver against Cd-induced injury.