To investigate the role of oxidative stress in liver injury caused by high-voltage electrical burns in rats and the intervention effect of brevisanthin.

The study was divided into electrotrauma experiment and treatment experiment. A total of 170 male SD rats were assigned to the electrotrauma experiment (n=120) and the treatment experiment (n=50) using the random number table method. The electrotrauma experiment was divided into electrical injury group (n=60) and sham electrical injury group (n=60), and the observation phases were 0, 8, 24, 48, 72 h and 1 week after electrical injury, and 10 animals were observed in each observation phase. The treatment experiment was divided into high-dose, medium-dose and low-dose treatment groups, electrical injury group and saline group, with 10 animals in each group. The experimental high-voltage electrical shock system was used to make high-voltage electrical burn model of rats with a voltage of 3 kV and an electric shock of 3 seconds. Electrotrauma experimental rats were collected serum and liver tissue on time. The high-dose, medium-dose, and low-dose groups were intraperitoneally injected with 6 mg/kg, 4 mg/kg, and 2 mg/kg brevisanthin, respectively, the saline group was intraperitoneally injected with 1 mL/kg of normal saline, and the electrical injury group was used as blank control, and the serum and liver tissue were sacrificed and collected after 72 hours of treatment. The morphological changes of liver tissue were observed under light microscopy, the content of total bilirubin (TBIL) and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (ALT), glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (AST) activity in serum were measured, and the contents of glutathione (GSH), superoxide radical (O₂^-·) and total sulfhydryl (-SH), xanthine oxidase (XOD) activity and hydroxyl radical (·OH) scavenging rate in the supernatant of liver homogenate were detected.

Progressive microcirculatory disorders and inflammatory cell infiltration occurred in liver tissue of high-voltage electrical burns rats, liver damage was reduced after treatment with brevisanthin. In the electrotrauma experiment, there was no significant difference in the content of TBIL, O₂^-·and ·OH scavenging rate between the electrical injury group and the sham electrical group(F=0.184, 0.485, 0.119; P=0.678, 0.504, 0.739). The ALT, AST, XOD activity in the electrical group were higher than those in the sham electrical group, the difference was significant (F=215.500, 92.010, 65.400, P<0.001). The content of GSH and -SH in the electrical injury group were lower than those in the sham electrical group, and the difference was significant (F=27.890, 113.500, P<0.001). There was no significant difference in the content of TBIL, O₂^-· and ·OH scavenging rate among treatment experimental groups (F=1.441, 1.890, 0.249; P=0.236, 0.129, 0.909). The ALT, AST, XOD activity and the content of -SH in the middle-dose group decreased and the content of GSH increased, and the difference was significant(P<0.05).

High-voltage electrical burns cause liver tissue and cell damage in rats, which may be associated with oxidative stress. Brevisanthin has an ameliorating effect on liver injury and oxidative stress in rats with high-voltage electrical burns.