Abstract
TThe objective of the present study was to elucidate whether serum ATX activity might be a target for regulation of liver fibrosis and to evaluate the hepatoprotective and antifibrotic effect of curcumin in TAA induced liver fibrosis in rats. Therefore 40 healthy adult albino rats, divided into 4 groups (10 rats in each). Rats in the 2nd group received curcumin (500 mg/kg b. wt /orally every day), the 3rd group injected by thioacetamide (TAA) intraperioteneal (250 mg/kg b. wt) three times a week, the 4th group injected by TAA intraperioteneal (250 mg/kg b. wt) three times a weeks and received curcumin orally (500 mg/kg b. wt every day). The changes in body weight index and histopathological examination. In addition, selected biochemical parameters were also determined. The present study revealed that, oral supplementation of curcumin causing increase of liver weight index, autotaxin (ATX), HDL-c level and decrease of total protein, urea, creatinine and ammonia, total cholesterol, LDL-c and triacylglycerols. Treatment with TAA induced increase in the liver weight index, ATX, ALT, triacylglycerols, ammonia levels and decrease in serum proteins, urea, total cholesterol, HDL-c and LDL-c levels. Histopathological examination revealed severs necrosis, inflammatory cellular infiltration and nodules in TAA group. While the supplementation of rats with TAA and curcumin orally together resulted in increase in liver weight index, ATX, ALT, triacylglycerols levels and decrease in serum total protein, urea, total cholesterol, HDL-c, LDL-c concentration moreover, revealed mild inflammation and necrosis by histopathological examination. Conclusively, the use of curcumin ameliorated the effect of TAA induced liver fibrosis but cannot reach the normal levels

Key words: Suzan E. Abdou, Nabil M. Taha, Abd El-Wahab A. Mandour, Mohamed A. Lebda, Hanaa R. El Hofi, Amany MSE El-Morshedy