# Effect of Spirulina (Formerly Arthospira) Maxima against Ethanol-Induced Damage in Rat Liver
## 3 Results  
### Effect of Ethanol and SP on the Survival and Parameters of Liver Regeneration  
The effect of EtOH and SP was observed in BW gain, liver regeneration, and mortality. Regarding weight gain, all the experimental groups were below the control group, finding significant differences (\(p\) < 0.05); it was observed that the PH-EtOH group, at the end of the experiment, had a weight loss of 39.59% (\(-\)22.48 g), being significant (\(p\) < 0.05) with respect to the control and the other groups analyzed. The PH-EtOH and PH-SP groups presented a significant decrease (\(p\) < 0.05) in the restitution of liver mass compared to the PH group (Table 1). For the groups treated with SP, a gain in BW was observed, obtaining values higher than those of the PH group. In addition, the PH-EtOH-SP group demonstrated a restoration of weight gain in the liver (71.08%), obtaining values closest to those of the PH group (83.64%). Administration of EtOH reflected a marked mortality rate (16.6%) in the PH-EtOH group, this being statistically significant (\(p<0.05\)) compared to the control group. In contrast, SP administration suppressed mortality compared to the previously mentioned group. Effect of EtOH and SP on Histological Indicators (Congestion, steatosis, Inflammation, Apoptosis, and Necrosis)  
It has been observed that, after hepatic resection, different changes occur in the structural and functional characteristics of hepatocytes. The analysis of the histological indicators for the PH-EtOH group revealed an increase in apoptosis, necrosis, and congestion, corroborating the presence of inflammation and steatosis in the histological sections of these rats (Table 2, Figure 1); however, for the rats treated with SP, it can be observed that the histopathological study showed a decrease in the degree of said histological alterations (Figure 1). Effects of Treatment with EtOH and SP on Serum Concentrations of Cholesterol, Triacylglycerides, Glucose, and Albumin  
The effects of treatment with EtOH and SP on concentrations of serum metabolites can be observed in Table 3.  
The hepatectomy (the PH group) and the hepatotoxicity of animals treated with EtOH (PH-EtOH and PH-EtOH-SP) were associated with a significant (\(p<0.05\)) reduction in cholesterol levels compared to the control, while, in the animals in the PH-SP group, the cholesterol concentration exhibited an increase (44.30 mg/dL) similar to the level of the control group. As can be observed in Table 3, only in the PH-EtOH group was there a significant (\(p<0.05\)) increase in triglyceride concentration (179.90 mg/dL) compared to all experimental groups, with no significant differences found in the remaining three groups, compared to the control. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Group** & **Apoptosis** & **Necrosis** & **Congestion** \\ \hline Control & \(-\) & \(-\) & \(-\) \\ PH & ++ & \(+\) & \(++\) \\ PH-EtOH & +++ & +++ & +++ \\ PH-SP & \(+\) & \(+\) & \(++\) \\ PH-SP-EtOH & \(-\) & \(-\) & \(+\) \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: Histological indicators. Liver lesion parameters in each experimental group treated (n = 6).