Protective Effects of Nutria Bile against Thioacetamide-Induced Liver Injury in Mice

Abstract

Several eradication programs have been developed and executed to curb alien invasive species that tend to damage the ecological environments they colonize; however, only few studies have evaluated the utilization of carcasses of these species after eradication. Nutria (Myocastor coypus) is an invasive rodent species targeted by eradication programs in many countries. We noted that nutria produce large amounts of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in their bile. UDCA is a unique component responsible for the anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective effects exerted by bear bile. Therefore, we sought to examine the medicinal utility of nutria carcasses by investigating the hepatoprotective effect of their bile in mice. C57BL/6 mice were injected with thioacetamide (TAA), which induced liver damage by increasing Kupffer cell infiltration. Administration of nutria bile reduced hepatic inflammation, improved hepatic function, and increased the levels of senescence marker protein 30 (an indicator of hepatocyte viability). Our results show that nutria bile exerts protective effects against TAA-induced liver injury in mice, suggesting that nutria carcasses may be used for the treatment of liver injuries.