Abstract

Nicotine is the principal alkaloid contained in tobacco and is produced by plants of nightshade family. Nicotine has relatively high toxicity with varied effects on our body. The liver of albino rats resembles human liver both microscopically as well as microscopically. Aims and objectives: The aim of study was to study gross and histopathological changes induced by administration of graded doses of nicotine hydrogen tartrate in albino rats over a period. Material & methods: A total of 36 male albino rats were included in our study and after a period of acclimatization, were divided in to three groups of 12 rats each with one group serving as control while as other two groups received nicotine in concentration of 5mg/10ml and 7.5mg/10ml.The rats were sacrificed later to study for changes in liver anatomy. Results and observation: The most common changes were progressive decrease in weight of albino rats and pentad of microscopic changes including central venous congestion, portal venous congestion, sinusoidal congestion, fatty changes of hepatocytes and inflammation of portal triads. Conclusion: The findings of our study clearly revealed that changes induced in microanatomy of liver in male albino rats were directly related with dosage and duration of nicotine administration and considering the similarity between human liver and liver of male albino rats, the therapeutic administration of nicotine in human population should be rigorously studied by more experimental studies.

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