Abstract
Purpose: To determine the preventive effects of vitamin E and melatonin against acute copper toxicity in rats.Methods: A total of 28 Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into four equal groups: control, copper sulfate, copper sulfate + vitamin E, and copper sulfate + melatonin. The following were analyzed in all groups: serum enzymes; activity of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), protein carbonyl (PC) content. Liver histopathology was also evaluated.Results: PC levels decreased in rats administered copper sulfate/vitamin E and copper sulfate/melatonin. The activities of SOD, GPx and CAT increased significantly with melatonin and vitamin E administration when compared with administration of copper sulfate alone. Histopathologic features revealed severe degeneration and necrotic changes in rats administered copper sulfate alone. These changes were observed to a lesser extent in the copper sulfate + melatonin group and only minimally in the copper sulfate + vitamin E group.Conclusion: Vitamin E and melatonin are protective against liver damage caused by copper. Vitamin E, and melatonin may strengthen the antioxidant defense system by inhibiting protein oxidation and enhancing the activity of antioxidant enzymes.Keywords: Copper, Melatonin, Vitamin E, Protein oxidation, Hepatoprotective
Highlights
The adult recommended dietary allowance of copper is 900 μg/day
The experiment showed that rats treated with copper sulfate exhibit changes in the levels of various serum enzymes when compared with control rats
The results showed that levels of serum enzymes were markedly lower in the copper sulfate (CS) + Mel and CS + Vit E groups compared with the CS group (p < 0.05)
Summary
The adult recommended dietary allowance of copper is 900 μg/day. In the United States, the median intake of copper from food is approximately 1.0–1.6 mg/day. The tolerable upper intake level is 10,000 μg/day (10 mg/day), which represents the limit for prevention of hepatic injury, a potentially serious side effect of excess copper ingestion [1]. Excessive copper intake can occur via the consumption of copper-rich foods such as liver, seafood, nuts, whole grains, and dried fruits. Ingested copper can participate in reactions that result in the production of free radicals such as Prophylactic use of melatonin and vitamin E for anti-aging and food supplementation has attracted considerable recent interest for possible health improvement and disease prevention in the current era of self-care and complementary medicine [6,7]. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects of vitamin E and melatonin supplementation on liver damage associated with copper exposure in rats
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