Valproic acid is commonly used to treat a variety of psychiatric disorders, including epilepsy, bipolar disorder, and migraine headaches. It has been shown that its use may result in adverse consequences such as hepatotoxicity. This study investigated the potential hepatoprotective effect of metformin against valproic acid-induced hepatotoxicity in male rats. metformin (125, 250, and 500 mg/kg/day) was received for 30 days, and valproic acid (400 mg/kg/day) was received starting from the 22nd day of the experiment for eight days to induce hepatocellular damage in rats. Valproic acid showed elevated serum liver enzymes and decreased total antioxidant capacity (TAC). At the same time, valproic acid treatment increased tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) production and nuclear factor Kappa B (NF-kB) expression. These results were supported by histopathological evaluation.

Metformin, Valproic Acid, Liver Enzymes, TAC, TNF-α, NF-kB