Betaine Supplementation Protects Rats Against Alcohol-Induced Hepatic and Duodenal Injury: An Histopathological Study

Abstract

Betaine is a natural compound synthesized endogenously in animals, plants, and microorganisms and can be intaken by diet. There is a growing body of evidence that suggests betaine has properties that can protect against damage caused by oxidation, inflammation, and cell death in various human diseases. Additionally, recent studies suggest that betaine may help prevent and/or ameliorate tissue damage from alcohol consumption. In the present study, we evaluated histopathological changes in the liver and duodenum tissues stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) in the four groups of twenty-eight Wistar albino rats: control group, betaine pre-treated group (250 mg/kg/bw, 21 days, i.g.), acute ethanol ingested group (75% ethanol, 4 ml/kg/bw, i.g.) and betaine+ethanol group (75% ethanol, 4 ml/kg/bw, following betaine 250 mg/kg/bw, i.g.). We found that betaine pre-treatment reduced significantly ethanol-induced hepatocyte degeneration, sinusoidal dilatation, hemorrhage, and inflammatory cell infiltration in the liver (p < 0.05). We also showed that betaine protects duodenal mucosa significantly against epithelial damage at the tips of villi and hemorrhage (p < 0.001). Collectively, this study indicated that betaine supplementation could protect against histopathological changes induced by ethanol in hepatic and duodenal tissues.