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. 2017 Dec;55(1):1937-1945.
doi: 10.1080/13880209.2017.1345951.

Protective mechanism of turmeric (Curcuma longa) on carbofuran-induced hematological and hepatic toxicities in a rat model

Md Sakib Hossen  1 , E M Tanvir  1   2 , Maruf Billah Prince  1 , Sudip Paul  1 , Moumoni Saha  1 , Md Yousuf Ali  1 , Siew Hua Gan  3 , Md Ibrahim Khalil  1   3 , Nurul Karim  1
Affiliations

Protective mechanism of turmeric (Curcuma longa) on carbofuran-induced hematological and hepatic toxicities in a rat model

Md Sakib Hossen et al. Pharm Biol. 2017 Dec.

Abstract

Context: Turmeric (Curcuma longa L. [Zingiberaceae]) is used in the treatment of a variety of conditions including pesticide-induced toxicity.

Objective: The study reports the antioxidant properties and the protective effects of turmeric against carbofuran (CF)-induced toxicity in rats.

Materials and methods: The antioxidant potential was determined by using free radicals scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power values. Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups, designated as control, turmeric (100 mg/kg/day), CF (1 mg/kg/day) and turmeric (100 mg/kg/day) + CF (1 mg/kg/day) treatments. All of the doses were administered orally for 28 consecutive days. The biological activity of the turmeric and CF was determined by using several standard biochemical methods.

Results: Turmeric contains high concentrations of polyphenols (8.97 ± 0.15 g GAEs), flavonoids (5.46 ± 0.29 g CEs), ascorbic acid (0.06 ± 0.00 mg AEs) and FRAP value (1972.66 ± 104.78 μM Fe2+) per 100 g of sample. Oral administration of CF caused significant changes in some of the blood indices, such as, mean corpuscular volume, corpuscular hemoglobin, white blood cell, platelet distribution width and induced severe hepatic injuries associated with oxidative stress, as observed by the significantly higher lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels when compared to control, while the activities of cellular antioxidant enzymes (including superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase) were significantly suppressed in the liver tissue.

Discussion and conclusion: Turmeric supplementation could protect against CF-induced hematological perturbations and hepatic injuries in rats, plausibly by the up-regulation of antioxidant enzymes and inhibition of LPO to confer the protective effect.

Keywords: Antioxidant; DPPH; FRAP; antioxidant enzymes; hepatic markers; histopathology; lipid peroxidation; pesticide.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
DPPH-free radical scavenging activity of (A) gallic acid (standard) and (B) turmeric extract.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
The effects of turmeric and CF on serum hepatic marker enzyme activities. Data are expressed as mean ± SD of seven animals per group. The bars with different superscript (a, b) denote significance differences based on an one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s multiple comparison tests.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
The effects of turmeric and CF on serum cholesterol levels. Data are expressed as mean ± SD of seven animals per group. The bars with different superscript (a, b, c) denote significance differences based on an one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s multiple comparison tests.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
The effects of turmeric and CF on liver LPO levels in normal and different treated rats. Data are expressed as mean ± SD of seven animals per group. The bars with different superscript (a, b, c) denote significance differences based on an one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s multiple comparison tests.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
The effects of turmeric and CF on the activities of (A) superoxide dismutase (SOD) and (B) glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) in the liver tissue of normal and treated rats. Data are expressed as mean ± SD of seven animals per group. The bars with different superscript (a, b, c) denote significance differences based on an one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s multiple comparison tests.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Photomicrographs of H & E (hematoxylin and eosin) stained sections of the liver of control rats and the rats treated with turmeric alone showing (A & B) normal histological structure of the central vein (CV) and surrounding hexagonal hepatocytes. (C) CF-treated rat livers showed severe disruption of the cellular arrangement radiating from the central vein (CV) and in the lobule (long black arrows), degeneration of hepatocytes at the peripheral area of the CV (short black arrows) and congestion in the CV associated with inflammatory infiltrates (white arrows). (D) A liver section of the animals treated with turmeric +CF, showing a remarkable degree of preservation in the cellular arrangement with only mild inflammation observed. [Magnification: 40X].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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