We aimed to determine whether increased levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) directly cause hepatic deterioration and whether it is decreased by ascorbic acid (AA) as an antioxidant. | Turkish Journal of Biology Turk J Biol (2016) 40: 452-461 © TÜBİTAK doi: Research Article The restorative effect of ascorbic acid on liver injury induced by asymmetric dimethylarginine 1, 2 3 4 5 Ali OKUYUCU *, Osman ŞALIŞ , Ömer ALICI , Abdullah GÜVENLİ , Yüksel TERZİ , 6 7 8 6 Muhammed Emin KELEŞ , Fatih İLKAYA , İbrahim GÖREN , Hasan ALAÇAM 1 Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Turkey 2 Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Samsun Health School, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Turkey 3 Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziosmanpaşa University, Tokat, Turkey 4 Samsun Public Health Laboratory, Ministry of Health of Turkey, Samsun, Turkey 5 Department of Statistics, Faculty of Science and Arts, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Turkey 6 Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey 7 Department of Medical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Turkey 8 Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Turkey Received: Accepted/Published Online: Final Version: Abstract: We aimed to determine whether increased levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) directly cause hepatic deterioration and whether it is decreased by ascorbic acid (AA) as an antioxidant. The study included three groups: Control (n = 10), ADMA (n = 10), and ADMA + AA (n = 10). ADMA was administered at 2 mg kg–1 day–1 and AA was given at 50 mg kg–1 day–1 for 10 days. Serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyl transferase, and alkaline phosphatase activities were analyzed. Histomorphological evaluation of the liver was performed based on the Ishak scoring system. When compared with the control, ALT and ALP levels of the ADMA group were significantly higher (P = and
