Does alfa lipoic acid prevent liver from methotrexate induced oxidative injury in rats?
OBJECTIVE
To determine the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of alfa lipoic acid (ALA) on the liver injury induced by methotrexate (MTX) in rats.


METHODS
Thirty two rats were randomly assigned into four equal groups; control, ALA, MTX and MTX with ALA groups. Liver injury was performed with a single dose of MTX (20 mg/kg) to groups 3 and 4. The ALA was administered intraperitonealy for five days in groups 2 and 4. The other rats received saline injection. At the sixth day the rats decapitated, blood and liver tissue samples were removed for TNF-α, IL-1β, malondialdehyde, glutathione, myeloperoxidase and sodium potassium-adenosine triphosphatase levels measurement and histological examination.


RESULTS
MTX administration caused a significant decrease in tissue GSH, and tissue Na+, K+ ATPase activity and which was accompanied with significant increases in tissue MDA and MPO activity. Moreover the pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL- β) were significantly increased in the MTX group. On the other hand, ALA treatment reversed all these biochemical indices as well as histopathological alterations induced by MTX.


CONCLUSIONS
Alfa lipoic acid ameliorates methotrexate induced oxidative damage of liver in rats with its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.
Department of General Surgery, Antalya Training and Research Hospital, Antalya, Turkey.
Tuğrul
T
Çakır
Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey.
Ahmet
A
Baştürk
Department of Biochemistry, Public Health Laboratuary, Kütahya, Turkey.
Cemal
C
Polat
Department of General Surgery, Antalya Training and Research Hospital, Antalya, Turkey.
Arif
A
Aslaner
Department of General Surgery, Antalya Training and Research Hospital, Antalya, Turkey.
Himmet
H
Durgut
Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Ahmet Özer
AÖ
Şehirli
Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Inonü University, Malatya, Turkey.
Mehmet
M
Gül
Faculty of Medicine, Marmara University, İstanbul, Turkey.
Ayliz Velioğlu
AV
Öğünç
Department of Histology and Embryology, Inonü University Faculty of Medicine, Malatya, Turkey.
Semir
S
Gül
Department of General Surgery, Süleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Turkey.
Mehmet Zafer
MZ
Sabuncuoglu
Department of General Surgery, Antalya Training and Research Hospital, Antalya, Turkey.
Mehmet Tahir
MT
Oruç
D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000633:toxicity*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005978:Glutathione / Q000032:analysis; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000097:blood; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000032:analysis; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000633:toxicity*; D009336:Necrosis / Q000473:pathology; D009195:Peroxidase / Q000032:analysis; D011897:Random Allocation; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D008063:Thioctic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D000975:Antioxidants; D053583:Interleukin-1beta; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D008063:Thioctic Acid; D009195:Peroxidase; D005978:Glutathione; D008727:Methotrexate