Tualang Honey Protects the Rat Midbrain and Lung against Repeated Paraquat Exposure.

Suk Peng Tang,Siew Hua Gan,Sirajudeen Kuttulebbai Nainamohamed Salam,Siti Amrah Sulaiman,Hasnan Jaafar,Mustapha Muzaimi

doi:10.1155/2017/4605782

Suk Peng Tang, Siew Hua Gan + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/4605782

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Abstract

Paraquat (PQ) is a dopaminergic neurotoxin and a well-known pneumotoxicant that exerts its toxic effect via oxidative stress-mediated cellular injuries. This study investigated the protective effects of Tualang honey against PQ-induced toxicity in the midbrain and lungs of rats. The rats were orally treated with distilled water (2 mL/kg/day), Tualang honey (1.0 g/kg/day), or ubiquinol (0.2 g/kg/day) throughout the experimental period. Two weeks after the respective treatments, the rats were injected intraperitoneally with saline (1 mL/kg/week) or PQ (10 mg/kg/week) once per week for four consecutive weeks. After four weekly exposures to PQ, the glutathione peroxidase activity and the number of tyrosine-hydroxylase immunopositive neurons in the midbrain were significantly decreased in animals from group PQ (p < 0.05). The lungs of animals from group PQ showed significantly decreased activity of superoxide dismutase and glutathione-S-transferase. Treatment with Tualang honey ameliorated the toxic effects observed in the midbrain and lungs. The beneficial effects of Tualang honey were comparable to those of ubiquinol, which was used as a positive control. These findings suggest that treatment with Tualang honey may protect against PQ-induced toxicity in the rat midbrain and lung.

Highlights

Paraquat (PQ), or 1,1󸀠-dimethyl-4,4󸀠-bipyridinium, is a nonselective contact herbicide commonly used to control broadleaf and grassy weeds
No significant differences in the serum levels of sodium, potassium, chloride, and uric acid were observed among the experimental groups
The present study showed that there were no significant differences in the enzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), CAT, glutathione reductase (GR), and GST in the midbrain region among all experimental groups

Summary

Introduction

Paraquat (PQ), or 1,1󸀠-dimethyl-4,4󸀠-bipyridinium, is a nonselective contact herbicide commonly used to control broadleaf and grassy weeds. It is among the most frequently used weed killers in approximately 100 countries. PQ is a strong electron acceptor and readily undergoes a single-electron reduction to form the monocation radical (PQ+∙). This radical is rapidly reoxidized by molecular oxygen, regenerating the dicationic form (PQ2+) and generating a superoxide radical (O2∙). The process of PQ redox cycling and the initiation of the cascade reaction by O2∙− leads to the formation of various reactive oxygen species (ROS) [2, 3], which readily attack key cellular structures and molecules (lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleotides), leading to deleterious cellular effects underlying various diseases [4]

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