Lycopene: Hepatoprotective and Antioxidant Effects toward Bisphenol A-Induced Toxicity in Female Wistar Rats

Abstract

Bisphenol A (BPA)-an endocrine disruptor xenoestrogen-is widely spread in the environment. Lycopene (LYC) is an antioxidant phytochemical carotenoid. The hereby study was designed to verify the deleterious effect of BPA on cyclic female rats' hepatic tissue as well as evaluation of the effect of LYC toward BPA hepatic perturbation. Twenty-eight female Wistar rats were allocated equally into four groups: control group, LYC group (10 mg/kg B.wt), BPA group (10 mg/kg B.wt), and BPA + LYC group (the same doses as former groups). The treatments were given daily via gavage to the rats for 30 days. The rats in BPA displayed high activities of serum liver enzymes with low levels of total proteins (TP) and albumin. Moreover, BPA induced hepatic oxidative stress via depletion of antioxidant enzymes concomitant with augmentation of lipid peroxidation, increased comet tail DNA %, and overexpression of caspase-3. Meanwhile, LYC administration reduced the cytotoxic effects of BPA on hepatic tissue, through improving the liver function biomarkers and oxidant-antioxidant state as well as DNA damage around the control values. These findings were confirmed by hepatic histopathological examination. Finally, LYC credited to have a noticeable protective effect versus BPA provoked oxidative injury and apoptosis of the liver tissue.

Figure 1

Histopathological sections of female Wistar rats. (a) Control group (b), LYC-treated (10 mg/kg) control, (c) BPA-treated (10 mg/kg) group, and (d) BPA (10 mg/kg) and LYC (10 mg/kg) cotreated group. (a) and (b) show normal hepatocytes arranged in radiating cords around central vein (cv). (c) The BPA-treated liver shows dilated vein, bridging fibrosis of portal areas (black arrow), mild leukocytic infiltration (arrowheads), and minute focal hepatocyte necrosis (white arrows). (d) BPA + LYC-treated liver shows amelioration of hepatic lesions with mildly vacuolization of hepatocytes.

Figure 2

Immunohistochemical reaction of caspase-3 in livers of female Wistar rats. (a) Control group (b), LYC-treated (10 mg/kg) control, (c) BPA-treated (10 mg/kg) group, and (d) BPA (10 mg/kg) and LYC (10 mg/kg) cotreated group. Control and LYC groups show week immunoreactivity of caspase-3 while BPA-treated group exhibited higher immunoreactivity. The LYC coadministration with BPA shows amelioration of caspase-3 immunoreactivity than that in BPA alone.