1st Student's Major
Biological Sciences
1st Student's College
Science, Engineering and Technology
Students' Professional Biography
Renae Haycraft grew up in Lewisville, Minnesota, and graduated high school at Mankato West High School in 2001. She started attending Minnesota State University, Mankato, in the fall of 2001. She is graduating this spring with a B.S. in Biology, Toxicology Option, and a B.A. in Chemistry. After graduation, she will begin employment at 3M Corporate Toxicology and Regulatory Services in St. Paul,
Mentor's Name
Steven Mercurio
Mentor's Email Address
steven.mercurio@mnsu.edu
Mentor's Department
Biological Sciences
Mentor's College
Science, Engineering and Technology
Other Mentors
Danae R. Quirk Dorr
Abstract
The focus of this research was to decrease inflammatory-related liver damage from tamoxifen in rats by adding fish oil to the diet. Tamoxifen causes a significant increase in inflammation of the liver. Inflammation increases with the production of prostaglandins by a metabolic pathway involving arachidonic acid. The metabolism of tamoxifen by the enzyme cytochrome P450 leads to an increase in the production of prostaglandins. The increased inflammation is proportional to lipid accumulation and ultimately lipid peroxidation in the liver. Resulting damage in humans includes hepatic steatosis (fatty liver), nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and cirrhosis. Fish oils rich in omega-3 fatty acids, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA), should decrease inflammation by indirectly suppressing the production of prostaglandins through enzymatic competition. Female rats were given a 7-day treatment of tamoxifen (35mg/kg) and/or fish oil (1000 mg/kg) by IP injection. Total rat weights were significantly lower in rats receiving only tamoxifen and significantly greater in rats receiving only fish oil, with no significant difference in the control rats or the rats receiving both variables. Liver weights exhibit no significant differences. Liver lipid analyses showed a significant decrease in lipid accumulation in rats that received both tamoxifen and fish oil. A significant decrease in lipid peroxidation was prominent in the rats that only received fish oil, possibly a result of its antioxidant activity. Future work may include increasing the numbers of rats and identifying proteins, estrogen metabolites, and tamoxifen metabolites, as well using a TBARS analysis for lipid peroxidation.
Recommended Citation
Haycraft, Renae
(2006)
"The Prevention of Inflammatory-Related Liver Damage by Tamoxifen in Rats Given Fish Oil,"
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato: Vol. 6, Article 9.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56816/2378-6949.1116
Available at:
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/jur/vol6/iss1/9
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License