Curcumin Attenuates Hepatotoxicity Induced by Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles in Rats

Year 2016, Volume: 33 Issue: 3, 252 - 257, 01.05.2016

Layasadat Khorsandi Esrafil Mansouri Mahmoud Orazizadeh Zahra Jozi

Abstract

Background: Zinc oxide nanoparticles (NZnO) are increasingly used in modern life. Most metal nanoparticles have adverse effects on the liver. Aims: To explore the protective action of curcumin (Cur) against hepatotoxicity induced by NZnO in rats. Study Design: Animal experimentation. Methods: Control group animals received normal saline, while the Cur group animals were treated with 200 mg/kg of Cur orally for 21 days. NZnO-intoxicated rats received 50 mg/kg of NZnO for 14 days by gavage method. In the NZnO+Cur group, rats were pretreated with Cur for 7 days before NZnO administration. Plasma activities of Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were measured as biomarkers of hepatotoxicity. Hepatic levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities were measured for detection of oxidative stress in liver tissue. Histological changes and apoptosis in liver tissue were studied by using Hematoxylin-eosin staining and the transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) method. Results: NZnO induced a significant increase in plasma AST (2.8-fold), ALT (2.7-fold) and ALP (1.97-fold) activity in comparison to the control group (p<0.01). NZnO increased MDA content and reduced SOD and GPx activities. NZnO caused liver damage including centrilobular necrosis and microvesicular steatosis. The percentage of apoptosis in hepatocytes was increased in NZnO-treated rats (p<0.01). Pre-treatment of Cur significantly reduced lipid peroxidation (39%), increased SOD (156%) and GPx (26%) activities, and attenuated ALT (47%), AST (41%) and ALP (30%) activities. Pre-treatment with Cur also decreased the histology changes and apoptotic index of hepatocytes (p<0.05). Conclusion: These findings indicate that Cur effectively protects against NZnO-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. However, future studies are required to propose Cur as a potential protective agent against hepatotoxicity induced by metal nanoparticles.

Keywords

Antioxidants, curcumin, nanomaterials, oxidative stress

References

• 1. Borm PJA, Kreyling W. Toxicological hazards of inhaled nanoparticles-potential implications for drug delivery. J Nanosci Nanotechnol 2004;4:521-31. [CrossRef]
• 2. Lasagna-Reeves C, Gonzalez-Romero D, Barria MA, Olmedo I, Clos A, Sadagopa Ramanujam VM, et al. Bioaccumulation and toxicity of gold nanoparticles after repeated administration in mice. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2010;393:649-55. [CrossRef]
• 3. Burnett ME, Wang SQ. Current sunscreen controversies: a critical review. Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed 2011;27:58-67. [CrossRef]
• 4. Bai XD, Gao PX, Wang ZL, Wang EG. Dual-mode mechanical resonance of individual ZnO nanobelts. Appl Phys Lett 2003;82:4806-8. [CrossRef]
• 5. Kairyte K, Kadys A, Luksiene Z. Antibacterial and antifungal activity of photoactivated ZnO nanoparticles in suspension. J Photochem Photobiol B 2013;128:78-84. [CrossRef]
• 6. Filipe P, Silva JN, Silva R, Cirne de Castro JL, Marques Gomes M, Alves LC, et al. Stratum corneum is an effective barrier to TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticle percutaneous absorption. Skin Pharmacol Physiol 2010;22:266-75. [CrossRef]
• 7. Emamifar A, Kadivar M, Shahedi M, Soleimanian-Zad S. Effect of nanocomposite packaging containing Ag and ZnO on inactivation of Lactobacillus plantarum in orange juice. Food Control 2011;22:408-13. [CrossRef]
• 8. Böckmann J, Lahl H, Eckert T, Unterhalt B. Titanium blood levels of dialysis patients compared to healthy volunteers. Pharmazie 2000;55:468-76.
• 9. Ben-Slama I, Amara S, Mrad I, Rihane N, Omri K, Ghoul J, et al. Sub-Acute Oral Toxicity of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles in Male Rats. J Nanomed Nanotechnol 2015;6:284.
• 10. Guan R, Kang T, Lu F, Zhang Z, Shen H, Liu M. Cytotoxicity, oxidative stress, and genotoxicity in human hepatocyte and embryonic kidneycells exposed to ZnO nanoparticles. Nanoscale Res Lett 2012;7:602. [CrossRef]
• 11. Sharma V, Anderson D, Dhawan A. Zinc oxide nanoparticles induce oxidative stress and genotoxicity in human liver cells (HepG2). J Biomed Nanotechnol 2011;7:98-9. [CrossRef]