Naringenin in Combination with Vitamins C and E Potentially Protects Oxidative Stress-Mediated Hepatic Injury in Cadmium-Intoxicated Rats

Abstract

Cadmium (Cd)-induced oxidative stress and hepatic injury is one of the major outcomes of chronic Cd toxicity, which can be ameliorated by numerous antioxidants. The present study was undertaken to find the therapeutic efficacy of naringenin (NGN) plus vitamins C and E on Cd-induced oxidative hepatotoxicity in Wistar rats. It has been noticed that Cd intoxication significantly elevates the levels of serum hepatic marker enzymes such as alanine amino transferase, aspartate amino transferase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, γ glutamyl transferase, total bilirubin, and hepatic thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, lipid hydroperoxides, conjugated dienes and protein carbonyls. In addition, Cd also decreases the activities of hepatic enzymatic antioxidants superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, glutathione reductase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and the levels of non-enzymatic antioxidants total sulphydryl groups, reduced glutathione, vitamins C and E and histopathological changes in liver. Treatment with NGN and vitamins C and E in combination more significantly improved the altered biochemical and histopathological changes in the liver of Cd-intoxicated rats than the NGN or vitamins C and E treatment alone. The present data suggest that combined administration of NGN with vitamins C and E proved to be more beneficial in the treatment of Cd-hepatotoxicity than NGN treatment alone.