Determination of the effects of vitamin D and Nettle (Urtica Dioica L) extract administration on SOD-2 and TNF-α levels in liver tissue of TNBS (2,4,6 Trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid)-induced rats

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of vitamin D and nettle (Urtica dioica L.) extract on SOD-2 and TNF-α levels in liver tissue of rats induced with TNBS (2,4,6 Trinitrobenzene Sulfonic Acid) by immunohistochemical methods. All rats used in the study were weighed and randomly divided into four groups. Liver tissue samples were taken at the end of the experiment. They were blocked in paraffin by applying routine tissue tracking procedure. Histologic and immunohistochemical methods were applied to the sections taken from the paraffin blocks. It was determined that histopathologic changes were intense in the TNBS group and less in the TNBSD and TNBSI groups. Strong SOD-2 immunoreactivity was detected in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes in control and TNBSD groups, weak in TNBS group and moderate in TNBSI group. TNF-α immunoreactivity was weak in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes in control group, strong in TNBS group, and moderate in TNBSD and TNBSI groups. In conclusion, it is thought that vitamin D and nettle extract may have positive effects on liver tissue and both substances may be protective against liver damage due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.