Abstract
Corticosteroids are frequently used for their powerful anti-inflammatory activity in the management of various chronic inflammatory diseases. They are also used because of their potent immunosuppressive power in the manipulation of adverse effects associated with chemotherapeutic treatments. However, their long-term usage is associated with several side effects. The majority of these side effects are due to the increased oxidative stress associated with their administration. Dexamethasone (DEX) is one of the most commonly used glucocorticoids either as an anti-inflammatory and/or immunosuppressive agent.Wogonin, a mono-flavonoid present in the root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, has attracted considerable attention in recent years. Wogonin has a well-documented antioxidant activity that is mainly responsible for its multiple pharmacological activities. The current study aimed at investigating the possible protective activity of wogonin against DEX-induced oxidative stress in Sprague Dawley rats. The results showed that wogonin co-treatment successfully counteracted DEX-induced oxidative stress. Co-administration of wogonin doses of 30 and 60 mg/kg/day significantly improved superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity by 1.7 (P<0.001) and 3.9 folds (P<0.001) and significantly improved catalase (CAT) activity by 1.9 and 2.2 folds (P<0.05) as compared to DEX group. Moreover, co-treatment with wogonin (30 mg/kg/day) improved reduced glutathione (GSH) level by 1.5 folds, while the higher dose significantly improved GSH level by 2.3 folds (P<0.05) as compared to DEX group. Also, co-treatment with wogonin improved serum malondialdehyde MDA level by 11.8% and 30% compared to the DEX group. In conclusion, wogonin displayed a promising protective antioxidant effect against DEX-induced oxidative stress.
Highlights
Oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of multiple diseases including obesity-associated metabolic syndrome [1], cancer [2, 3], neurodegenerative disease [4, 5], diabetes [6], renal diseases [7] and osteoporosis [8]
Dexamethasone (DEX) long-term usage is associated with adverse effects involving most major organ systems [22]
The aforementioned adverse effects are mainly caused by increased oxidative stress [22, 23]
Summary
Oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of multiple diseases including obesity-associated metabolic syndrome [1], cancer [2, 3], neurodegenerative disease [4, 5], diabetes [6], renal diseases [7] and osteoporosis [8]. Glucocorticoids are one of the most commonly used agents for the management of many chronic diseases [16] They have a strong anti-inflammatory [17] and immunosuppressive activity [18]. These activities enhanced their choice for treating and managing inflammatory and immune-related disorders [19] They are used as an adjuvant with chemotherapeutic agents [20] to manage their undesirable adverse effects such as pain and inflammation [21]. They increase oxidative stress which in turn is associated with many side effects [22]. Dexamethasone (DEX), a glucocorticoid, has been reported to induce oxidative stress in many in vivo and in vitro studies [23, 24]
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