Ameliorative Effects of Lycopene and L‐Carnitine on CCl 4 ‐Induced Liver Fibrosis Rat Model

ABSTRACT Liver toxicity is a major health concern caused by pharmaceutical exposure, poisons like CCl4, or environmental contaminants. The CCl4‐induced liver toxicity model is extensively used to study hepatic damage, such as oxidative stress and fibrosis. In current study, synergistic effect of natural compounds Lycopene (Lyc) and L‐Carnitine (L‐Car) possessing the antioxidant activity was assessed to mitigate the liver fibrosis induced by CCl4 in male rat model. CCl4 treated rats showed significant decrease in body weight (21.62% ± 0.83%) alongside elevated liver enzymes ALP (276 ± 6.62), AST (283 ± 4.53), ALT (138 ± 0.74), bilirubin (1.73 ± 0.74) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) an injury marker (0.778% ± 0.06%). After treatment of CCl4 induced fibrosis with Lyc + L‐Car, significantly increased body weight of rats was observed (34.39% ± 0.77%). Liver enzymes also showed remarkable improvement after treatment with Lyc + L‐Car ( p ≤ 0.001). Combined Lyc + L‐Car group showed reduced the LDH level (0.246% ± 0.02%), fibrosis gene markers TIMP‐1 and Col1α1 ( p ≤ 0.001) and increased antioxidant enzyme activity of SOD (0.56 ± 0.04 U/dL) and CAT (0.489 ± 0.004 U/dL). Histological analysis showed a marked improvement in liver architecture, with reduced fibrosis appearance. These findings suggest that combination of Lyc and L‐Car supplementation effectively counteracts fibrosis, oxidative stress, and liver enzymes elevation, supporting its potential role as a dietary therapeutic agent for metabolic and hepatic disorders. Future recommendations include conducting long‐ term clinical trials in humans to validate these findings, exploring optimal dosages for dietary lycopene supplementation, and investigating its molecular mechanisms of action.