Pathomorphology of liver and kidney in chronic carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) toxicity in splenectomised female albino rats

Abstract

Splenic abnormalities including splenomegaly and hypersplenism are common findings in animals with liver fibrosis/cirrhosis. This work sought to investigate the effect splenectomy will have on the pathomorphology of the liver and kidneys of rats with carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) – induced chronic liver damage. Eighteen eight month old female albino rats were randomly assigned into three groups of six rats each. Group I was the untreated and served as the control. Group II was intact (not splenectomised), while Group III was splenectomised. Groups II and III were injected with 10 % CCl₄ at the dose of 3 ml/kg body weight intraperitoneally, every five days. After 90 days, both groups II and III liver and kidneys showed pathologic changes consistent with chronic liver damage. Grossly there were nodular lesions in the livers while microscopically fibrosis and regeneration were observed. In the kidneys, interstitial congestion and generalised nephrosis were observed microscopically. However, it was also observed that these gross and the microscopic changes progressed in the liver of the splenectomised (Group III) than that from the unsplenectomised (Group II), while the pathology seen in the kidneys of Group II was more severe than in Group III. This suggested advanced fibrotic and regenerative changes in the pathomorphology of both the liver and kidney of splenectomised rats with chronic liver damage.