Abstract
Bee products are a promising source of phenolic compounds with strong antioxidant activity. The present study was designed to explore the protective effect of honey, propolis, and their combination on gentamicin-induced oxidative stress and hepatorenal dysfunction. This study was conducted on male Wistar rats by intraperitoneal injections of gentamicin (120 mg/kg BW/day, i.p.) or normal saline (1 ml/kg BW/day, i.p.) for 10 consecutive days. Honey (2 g/kg BW), propolis (100 mg/kg BW), or their combination were given daily by gavage to normal and gentamicin groups. Honey and propolis samples were evaluated for their phytochemical composition and antioxidant capacity. The in vitro investigations showed that the evaluated samples especially propolis extract have high antioxidant power associated with the presence of several phenolic compounds such as flavonoids, flavan-3-ols, hydroxybenzoic acids, hydroxycinnamic acids, and stilbenes, while honey contains only hydroxybenzoic acids and hydroxycinnamic acids. It was also shown that simultaneous treatment with honey or propolis extract alone or in association prevented changes caused by gentamicin administration and improved hepatic and renal functions. Changes caused by gentamicin administration, observed by in vivo experiments, include significant elevation of uric acid, urea, creatinine, and hepatic enzyme levels (ALT, AST, and ALP) and kidney biochemical changes (an increase of urea, uric acid, and creatinine and a decrease of albumin and total protein) as well as remarkable changes of renal and liver oxidative stress markers (CAT, GPx, and GSH) and elevation of MDA levels. Overall, it can be concluded that honey and propolis might be useful in the management of liver and renal diseases induced by xenobiotics.
Highlights
Aminoglycoside antibiotics, especially gentamicin (GENT), are widely used in the treatment of human and animal bacterial infections, aerobic Gram-negative bacteria
The coadministration of propolis alone, honey alone, or their association significantly lowered the MDA levels and prevented the decrease of CAT, GSH, and Glutathione peroxidase (GPx), activities, and protein levels as compared to the GENT group. These results demonstrated that propolis and honey administrations especially their combination improve the kidney state and exhibit a significant nephroprotective effect by restoring the antioxidant capacity and attenuating the oxidative stress in the kidney
Polyphenol content in propolis extract was 76:00 ± 2:15 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g, and the value obtained was higher than the data reported by Touzani et al [34] for propolis sample harvested from the same locality where our evaluated sample was collected (Sefrou)
Summary
Aminoglycoside antibiotics, especially gentamicin (GENT), are widely used in the treatment of human and animal bacterial infections, aerobic Gram-negative bacteria. Chronic treatment with GENT prompts tubular necrosis, reduced renal blood flow (RBF), and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) [2]. Previous studies suggest that GENTtoxicity is a complex process in which GENT triggers cellular responses involving various pathways that result in liver and renal injuries [3, 4]. Several hypotheses were proposed to explain the involved mechanism of toxicity pathways; oxidative stress is the most reinforced one. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and other free radicals were considered to be one of the important mediators of GENT-toxicity [5]. In vivo and in vitro investigations have revealed that GENT stimulates the overproduction of ROS metabolites, leading to necrosis and cellular injury through different pathways, including protein oxidation, lipid peroxidation, and DNA damage.
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