title: Protective effect of beta-carotene on methotrexate-induced oxidative liver damage.
abstract: In this study, the authors aimed to investigate the role of oxidative stress on the hepatic damage caused by methotrexate (MTX) and the possible protective effects of beta-carotene against this damage. The rats were divided into four groups as control, MTX (20 mg/kg ip), beta-carotene (10 mg/kg/day ip) + MTX, and beta-carotene. Histopathologic alterations were evaluated for defining the liver damage. The tissue, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GP-x) contents and serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotranferase (ALT) activities were also examined. Histopathologic damage for each group score findings have been determined as control: 0.66 +/- 0.33; MTX: 7.0 +/- 0.68; beta-carotene + MTX: 3.3 +/- 0.42; and beta-carotene: 0.5 +/- 0.3. In the MTX-treated group, MDA, AST, and ALT values were increased, while SOD and GP-x values were decreased compared with the control group. In the beta-carotene + MTX-treated group, AST and ALT values significantly decreased, while all other parameters were similar to the control group. This study shows that beta-carotene has a protective effect on MTX-induced oxidative hepatic damage. Consequently, it seems that an antioxidant agents like beta-carotene may be useful in decreasing the side effects of chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Embryology and Histology, Faculty of Medicine, Inonu University, Malatya, Turkey. nvardi@inonu.edu.tr
authors.forename: Nigar
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vardi
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Parlakpinar
authors.forename: Asli
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cetin
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Erdogan
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cetin Ozturk
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000633:toxicity*; D008853:Microscopy; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D020011:Protective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism; D019207:beta Carotene / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D020011:Protective Agents; D019207:beta Carotene; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D008727:Methotrexate