Objective: The investigation of the effect of carvone (a natural monoterpene) on liver damage caused by chronic immobilisation.
Methods: Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: control, carvone, stress, and stress-carvone. To induce stress, rats were placed in a restrainer (6 h/21 day) and carvone was treated by gavage at a dose of 20 mg/kg.
Results: Alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase activities were significantly increased in sera of immobilised rats. Chronic immobilisation also increased malondialdehyde levels and decreased reduced glutathione content, as well as increased TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and NF-κB mRNA expression and also led to the infiltration of inflammatory cells in the liver parenchyma. Carvone's 21-day treatment prevented all of these changes in immobilised rats.
Conclusion: It is concluded that carvone has effectively prevented chronic immobilisation-induced liver injury, most probably through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capabilities.
Keywords: Carvone; chronic immobilisation; inflammation; liver injury; oxidative stress.