Abstract
Background: Plant secondary metabolites have been reported to offer a wide variety of medicinal purposes, including protection against heavy metal toxicity.
Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the potentiality of naringenin a flavonoid in ameliorating the antioxidant defense system of neural and cardiac cells against aluminum chloride (AlCl3 ) toxicity in rats.
Methods: The rats were divided into control (group 1), AlCl3 -treated (2), AlCl3+Naringenin-treated (3), and Naringenin-treated (4) groups. During experimentation, group 2 received an oral dose of 100 mg/kg/BW of AlCl3 , and group 3 received 100 mg/kg/BW of AlCl3 and 50 mg/ kg/BW of naringenin. In addition, group 4 received 50 mg/kg/BW of naringenin each day, while group 1 and all groups received a normal diet and water ad libitum for 30 days. The animals were sacrificed, and then blood, brain, and heart tissues were collected for biochemical and histological studies.
Results: The results revealed that naringenin administration ameliorates the antioxidant defense system (catalase [CAT], superoxide dismutase [SOD], glutathione peroxidase [GPx], and glutathione transferase) in AlCl3 toxicity in neural and cardiac tissues. AlCl3 caused oxidative tissue damage, showing a significant increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) (P<0.05) in both tissues. The levels of neurotransmitter acetylcholine esterase, nitric oxide, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the rats of group 3 were significantly (P<0.05) higher compared with AlCl3 -intoxicated rats. Furthermore, the AlCl3 -administered group had significantly (P<0.05) elevated levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, with reduced high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels in comparison to the naringenin-treated and control groups. Naringenin treatment normalized the lipid profile. Histological analysis using the hematoxylin and eosin staining method revealed that AlCl3 caused degenerative changes in the cerebellum and cardiac tissues, which were ameliorated by co-treatment with naringenin.
Conclusion: Naringenin has the potential to mitigate AlCl3 -induced oxidative stress (OS) in the neural and cardiac tissues of rats by enhancing the antioxidant defense system and reversing tissue injuries in the brain and heart.