Histopathological Effects of 5-Fluorouracil on the Liver of Male Rabbits ( with and without Folic Acid administration )

Aims : The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) on the liver tissue of rabbits, as well as the effect of folic acid on the effectiveness of 5-FU on the rabbit's liver. Materials and Methods: In this study nine adult male rabbits ,aged about 3 months were used and divided into three main groups .Group 1 : served as a control group and received normal saline only.Group 2 : treated by 5fluorouracil , 10 mg / kg intraperitonealy twice weekly for 8 weeks. Group 3 : treated by 5-fluorouracil , 10 mg / kg intraperitonealy twice weekly for 8 weeks with 5mg of folic acid orally twice weekly for 8 weeks .The animals were sacrificed and livers were excised and processed for histological study. Results: The liver of the treated group 2 shows disturbance in the architecture of hepatic lobule , swelling and vacuolation of the hepatocytes ,with ballooning degeneration and areas of necrosis. Congestion in the portal blood vessels and congestion in the central vein , together with congestion and dilatation of the sinusoids. Infiltration of mononuclear inflammatory cells in the portal area and around the central vein .While liver sections of group 3 show slight disturbance in hepatic cords architecture , hepatocytes showed no swelling and few vacuolation in their cytoplasm ,mononuclear cells infilitration mainly in the portal area and in lesser degree than that found in group 2 ,necrosis were not present. Conclusion:Toxic effect of 5-FU was observed on the liver tissue of rabbits , and an effective drugs must be applied with anticancer agents to improve liver function .