Carbon tetrachloride (CCI₄) is a well-known hepatotoxicant that is used to develop a model of liver cirrhosis in rats. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of chronic treatment with natural recombinant interferon (IFN), Ismafron or Roferon, respectively, on CCI₄-induced liver cirrhosis in rats. Seventy male Sprague-Dawley rats were used in the current study; animals were divided into three major groups, Group I, non-treated animals; Group II, normal animals treated with Ismafron, Roferon or liquid paraffin (the vehicle of CCI₄); Group III, cirrhotic animals; the cirrhotic rats were divided into 3 subgroups, cirrhotic animals treated with Ismafron, cirrhotic animals treated with Roferon, and untreated cirrhotic animals. Liver cirrhosis was induced in rats after 10 weeks of treatment with CCl₄, at a dose of 0.3 ml/100 g body weight twice a week.
Two weeks of treatment with Ismafron (10,000 IU/rat/day) or Roferon (50,000 IU/rat/day) could decrease the serum activities of the enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) and suppress the serum level of procollagen III. Furthermore, treatment with Ismafron or Roferon decreased fibrosis and inflammation of cirrhotic livers. It is concluded that treatment with Ismafron or Roferon could normalize the above serum markers of liver cirrhosis and enhance the histological picture of the liver in CCl₄-treated rats.