Liver Histology after Chronic Use of Alcohol and Exercise Training in Rats

Objectives: To investigate the effects of physical training on the liver morphology and morphometry after chronic use of alcohol in rats. Methods: Twenty-four Wistar rats were housed in cages with controlled environment and randomly divided into four groups according to treatment received. In the initial treatment, alcohol was administered to SA (sedentary alcohol) and EA (exercise alcohol) groups. After four weeks, physical training program was held on a treadmill with EA and EC (exercise control) groups. Area, perimeter, maximum and minimum diameter and form factor of nucleus and cytoplasm of hepatocytes were analyzed. Key findings: Micro-vesicular fatty degeneration, predominantly pericentrolobular, of mild to moderate intensity, was found especially in animals treated with alcohol. EC group showed nucleus area greater than the nucleus area of EA and SA groups. The form factor was lower in the EC group than in the EA group. EA group showed maximum cytoplasm diameter is smaller than in SC (sedentary control) group. Conclusions: Physical training for two weeks was not enough to suppress histopathologic changes in the liver caused by chronic use of alcohol in rats. Chronic use of alcohol seems to have minimized the beneficial effect of physical training in the nucleus area of hepatocytes.