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The Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Abstract

Background: Compelling evidence has implicated oxidative stress as a leading mechanism for arsenic (As)-induced pathologies. We evaluated antioxidant effect of virgin coconut oil (VCO) against arsenic-induced oxidative stress-mediated hepatorenal damage in rats. Methods: Rats were randomly divided into three groups: Control group, as group, and VCO + As group. VCO was orally administered before and along with arsenic (10 mg/kg body weight, orally) for 21 days. Subsequently, serum liver enzymes, albumin (ALB), creatinine, urea, antioxidant enzymes, malondialdehyde, and nitric oxide (NO) level were evaluated. The histology of the tissues was analyzed with standard procedures. Results: Arsenic caused marked increases in serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activities, along with urea and creatinine levels, whereas ALB level decreased markedly compared to control. Arsenic significantly reduced superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase activities, while NO and malondialdehyde levels prominently increased compared to control. In contrast, VCO supplementation before and along with As exposure significantly improved all biochemical parameters and restored the antioxidant defenses comparable to normal control in consistent with improvements in liver and kidney histology. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that VCO could protect against As-induced oxidative stress-mediated hepatorenal damage through reducing inflammatory NO levels and increasing antioxidant defense apparatus in rats.

Publisher

Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University

First Page

167

Last Page

172

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