Background : Liver injury by various factors can caused hepatocyte damage that undergoes chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, necrosis, fibrosis, cirrhotic leading to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Paracetamol with an accurate doses can prevented inflamatory response of hepatocyte. The aim of this study is to evaluate the protecting effect of paracetamol for liver injury induced by diethynitrosamine (DEN) in rats.

Methods : This research is an experimental animal study using rats Sprague-Dawley male (SD) aged 5-6 weeks and weighing 250 grams. The research sample was divided into 2 groups; control groups and a treatment group, each consisting of 6 rats. Both groups will be induced liver injury by DEN which is given at a dose of 50 mg/kgBW given intraperitoneally every week for 10 weeks while the treatment group is given paracetamol 200 mg/kgBW orally every day a week before being given DEN for 11 weeks and at 4th week the liver function assessed.

Results : After 9th week all rats at control group death and the paracetamol group survived until 10th week. The pathological liver cell in the control group has massive necrosis, while in the paracetamol group the hepatocytes were still alive and nothing pre-cancerous lesions was found. Laboratory results in the paracetamol and control groups were; mean AST 107.2 U/L , 121.7 U/L, mean ALT 47.1 U/L, 91.8 U/L, mean albumin 3.85 g/dL, 3.65 g/dL, mean bilirubin 0.04 mg/dL , 0.12 mg/dL and mean AFP <1 ng/ml in two groups. ALT, AST, Bilirubin was increase in control group dan albumin was decrease in control group.

Conclusions : Paracetamol with accurate doses; 200 mg/kgBW has a protective effect for liver injury induced by DEN in rats model by modulating the inflammatory respone. By inhibiting cyclooxygenase pathway, prostaglandin synthesis was reduced so inflammatory response and oxidative damage to liver cell can be prevented.