Protective effect of beta-carotene on methotrexate-induced oxidative liver damage.
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.
Vardi
Nigar
N
Department of Embryology and Histology, Faculty of Medicine, Inonu University, Malatya, Turkey. nvardi@inonu.edu.tr
Parlakpinar
Hakan
H
Cetin
Asli
A
Erdogan
Ali
A
Cetin Ozturk
I
I
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*
D020011:Protective Agents; D019207:beta Carotene; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D008727:Methotrexate