Effects of chronic consumption of energy drinks on liver and kidney of experimental rats

Wael Mansy,Enas Zakaria,Deema M Alogaiel,Mona Hanafi

doi:10.4314/tjpr.v16i12.8

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the effects of chronic intake of a brand of energy drink (ED) on the liver and kidney of rats. Methods: Sixty male adult Sprague Dawley albino rats were randomly assigned to four groups (15 rats per group). Three groups received ED at different doses (0.4, 1.1 and 2.2 ml/100 g body weight/day) for 12 weeks. The fourth group (control) received distilled water. All treatments were administered by oral gavage. Blood samples were withdrawn at the start of the experiment, and at the 6th and 12th weeks for assay of hepatic and renal biochemical parameters. Histopathological studies were done at the end of the exposure period. Results: Exposure to ED doses of 1.1 and 2.2 ml/100g body weight/day for 12 weeks induced highly significant increases in serum aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine and uric acid, when compared with the control group (p < 0.001). On the other hand, the activities of the antioxidant enzymes, viz, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT) significantly decreased (p < 0.001) by exposure to these two ED doses, relative to controls. Pronounced histopathological changes were observed in hepatic and renal tissues of the ED-treated rats. Conclusion: Oral exposure of rats to ED for 12 weeks produced noticeable hepatic and renal damage, probably due to increased free radical production and oxidative stress. Keywords: Energy drink, Reactive oxygen species, Liver function, Kidney function, Histopathological changes

Highlights

First appearance of energy drinks (EDs) was in Europe and Asia in the 1960 as a result of customer requirements for dietary supplements that give energy [1]
Rats treated with either moderate or high doses of ED had significant increases in serum aspartate transaminase (AST), The general architecture of the liver and the kidneys in G4 were distorted with congestion of central and portal veins and inflammation of portal areas as shown in Figure 1 I
Data are expressed as mean ± SE (n = 15); mean values with different alphabet superscripts within a column differ significantly (p

Summary

Introduction

First appearance of energy drinks (EDs) was in Europe and Asia in the 1960 as a result of customer requirements for dietary supplements that give energy [1]. It has been revealed that EDs contain mainly taurine, glucuronolactone, caffeine, ginseng and guarana [3]. These substances, most of which act as stimulants, are not included in the list of materials under regulation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States of America. The levels of these stimulants vary amongst different brands of EDs, and in most cases, are higher than values allowable [4]. A study has shown that the caffeine levels in EDs are between 50 and 505 mg/ can, which are much higher than the caffeine content of one can of Coke (34 mg) [5]

Results

Discussion

Conclusion