The Effects of Caffeine Toxicity on The Liver in WistarRats

Abstract

Caffeine is a widely used stimulant found in coffee and tea, mostly consumed as a beverage for alertness and enhanced intellectual performance but in excess can lead to dysfunction in normal body metabolism and toxicity on body organs. Studies proving the potential effect of caffeine as a specific liver toxicant are limited hence this study. Caffeine intoxication was induced by oral administration of caffeine in the rats. Twenty rats were randomly divided into four groups. Group A was the normal control group (no caffeine administration). Groups B, C and D were the caffeine intoxicated groups treated with 200, 400, and 800mg/kg body weight of caffeine. Animals in groups B-D received daily oral administration of caffeine for thirty days. Thereafter, we studied the effects of caffeine on liver function enzymes, hematological parameters and liver histomorphology. Caffeine intoxicated groups showed no significant difference (p<0.05) in aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase in comparison with the control group yet showed significant increase in organo-somatic index (p<0.05) in groups C and D in comparison to control group. Histological slides of caffeine intoxicated rats showed hepatic portal congestion, zonal necrosis, and periportal infiltrates of inflammatory cells, these damages increase in severity with ascending doses of caffeine across the groups. The data obtained from this study suggests that Caffeine induces hepatotoxicity in ascending manner of dose- dependent pattern in adult Wistar rats.