Examining hepatoprotective effects of astaxanthin against methotrexate-induced hepatotoxicity in rats through modulation of Nrf2/HO-1 pathway genes

Methotrexate (MTX), as a folic acid antagonist, is an effective drug in treating a wide range of malignancies and autoimmune diseases. However, the clinical use of MTX has been limited due to its side effects, the most common of which is hepatotoxicity. In this study, rats were randomly divided into...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology 2024, Vol.397 (1), p.371-380
Main Authors: Azadian, Razieh, Mohammadalipour, Adel, Memarzadeh, Mohammad Reza, Hashemnia, Mohammad, Aarabi, Mohammad Hosein
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Antioxidants
Antioxidants - metabolism
Antioxidants - pharmacology
Astaxanthin
Autoimmune diseases
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Blood levels
Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury - metabolism
Enzymes
Folic acid
Heme oxygenase (decyclizing)
Hepatotoxicity
Inflammation
Liver
Malignancy
Methotrexate
Methotrexate - toxicity
Neurosciences
NF-E2-Related Factor 2 - genetics
NF-E2-Related Factor 2 - metabolism
Oxidative Stress
Pharmacology/Toxicology
Rats
Rats, Wistar
Serum levels
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Summary:Methotrexate (MTX), as a folic acid antagonist, is an effective drug in treating a wide range of malignancies and autoimmune diseases. However, the clinical use of MTX has been limited due to its side effects, the most common of which is hepatotoxicity. In this study, rats were randomly divided into six groups: three treatment groups received methotrexate and different doses of astaxanthin (AX) for 14 days. At the end of the study, blood samples were collected to determine serum levels of ALT, AST, ALP, and LDH. Also, liver tissues were isolated to evaluate antioxidant enzymes and markers of oxidative stress, histopathological damage, and expression of NF-E2-related transcription factor (Nrf2) and Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) genes. The results showed that administration of MTX significantly increased the levels of ALT, AST, ALP, and LDH in the blood, markers of oxidative stress, and histopathological damage in liver tissue and significantly reduced the levels of antioxidant enzymes and the expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 genes. On the other hand, treatment with AX decreased blood levels of ALT, AST, ALP, and LDH and oxidative stress markers and remarkably raises the activity of antioxidant enzymes and expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 genes in liver tissue. In addition, histopathological lesions were improved with AX administration. The findings of this study indicated that AX may be useful for the prevention of MTX-induced hepatotoxicity by improving oxidative and inflammatory changes.
ISSN:0028-1298
1432-1912
DOI:10.1007/s00210-023-02581-8