The effects of melatonin on liver functions in arsenic-induced liver damage.
OBJECTIVE
Arsenic exposure is increasing in communities due to environmental pollution and industrial development. Arsenic is toxic to organ systems because it causes oxidative stress, enzymatic inhibition, and damage to protein structures. The liver, for example, is an organ that may be damaged by arsenic, and this damage may cause various clinical conditions like hepatic failure or cancer. Melatonin is a hormone that acts like an antioxidant, an anti-inflammatory agent, and a cytoprotective agent. In this study, we aimed to evaluate melatonin's protective effects on livers damaged by arsenic toxicity.


METHODS
Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley male rats were classified into three groups: a control group, an arsenic applied group, and an arsenic plus 10 mg/kg melatonin applied group. At the end of the fifteen-day experiment, the rats were sacrificed. Albumin, interleukin-6 (IL-6), total protein, alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, macrophage migration inhibitory factor, and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 measurements were obtained.


RESULTS
In rats with liver damage due to arsenic exposure, melatonin administration significantly decreased the levels of IL-6, macrophage migration inhibitory factor, and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (p<0.001, p=0.02 and p=0.04, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
After evaluating liver enzymes and inflammatory markers, this study determined that melatonin exposure improves liver tissue damage caused by arsenic exposure, with the degree of improvement varying based on the levels of arsenic exposure.
Department of General Surgery, Namık Kemal University School of Medicine, Tekirdağ, Turkey.
İlhan
İ
Bali
Department of Internal Medicine, Namık Kemal University School of Medicine, Tekirdağ, Turkey.
Bülent
B
Bilir
Department of General Surgery, Namık Kemal University School of Medicine, Tekirdağ, Turkey.
Seyfi
S
Emir
Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Namık Kemal University School of Medicine, Tekirdağ, Turkey.
Filiz
F
Turan
Department of Medical Biochemistry, Namık Kemal University School of Medicine, Tekirdağ, Turkey.
Ahsen
A
Yılmaz
Department of Medical Biochemistry, Namık Kemal University School of Medicine, Tekirdağ, Turkey.
Tuba
T
Gökkuş
Department of Medical Biochemistry, Namık Kemal University School of Medicine, Tekirdağ, Turkey.
Murat
M
Aydın
Arsenic; interleukin-6; macrophage migration inhibitory factor; melatonin; monocyte chemotactic protein 1