Zinc Protects Rat Liver Histo-architecture from Detrimental Effects of Nickel

This study was designed to examine the protective potential of zinc on the histoarchitecture distortion induced by nickel in rats. Male Sprauge Dawley (S.D) rats received either nickel alone in the form NiSO₄·6H₂O at a dose of 800 mg/l in drinking water, zinc alone in the form of ZnSO₄·7H₂O at a dose of 227 mg/l in drinking water, or nickel plus zinc or drinking water alone for a total duration of eight weeks. The effects of different treatments were studied on rat liver histoarchitecture by using both light and transmission electron microscopes. Normal control and zinc treated animals revealed normal histology of liver, however, nickel treated animals resulted in drastic alterations of normal hepatic histoarchitecture, after 8 weeks of treatment. Administration of zinc to nickel treated rats resulted in marked improvement in the structure of hepatocytes, thus emphasizing the protective potential of zinc in restoring the altered hepatic histoarchitecture close to the histoarchitecture of normal animals.