Hepatoprotective Impact Of TLR9 Antagonist ODN 2088 Against Carbon Tetrachloride (CCl₄)-Induced Hepatic Injury

The main objective of this study is to evaluate the hepatoprotective impact of TLR9 antagonist ODN 2088 against carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄)-induced acute liver injury. In this study, 24 mice were grouped into four groups. CCl₄ was introduced in all groups except for the control group intraperitoneally after pretreatment with ODN 2088 and silymarin for seven days. To assess the liver injury, serum alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) were estimated and histopathological changes in the liver tissue were investigated. Expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines including TNF-α and IL-6 were measured. It was observed that the serum levels of biochemical parameters such as ALT and AST were remarkably elevated in mice treated only with CCl₄ compared with the control mice (treated with corn oil). This increase in levels of ALT and AST was remarkably diminished by pretreatment with ODN 2088. The hepatoprotective impact of ODN 2088 on CCl₄-intoxicated mice was verified by histopathological studies. ODN2088 pretreatment inhibited liver inflammation by diminishing the liver expression of CCl₄-induced activity of TNF-α and IL-6. In conclusion, TLR9 antagonist, ODN 2088, protected the mice against CCl₄-induced liver damage and inflammation by down-regulating the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines.