Protective effects of boric acid against glyphosate-induced gastrointestinal toxicity in rats: insights from oxidative stress, inflammatory and histopathological markers

Abstract

Glyphosate (GLY), a widely used herbicide, has been associated with gastrointestinal toxicity primarily via oxidative stress and inflammation. This study aimed to evaluate the protective role of boric acid (BA) against GLY-induced stomach and intestinal injury in rats. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control, GLY-treated, BA-treated, and GLY+BA co-treated groups. Both GLY (150 mg/kg/day) and BA (100 mg/kg/day) were administered orally for 7 consecutive days. Gastrointestinal tissues were assessed for oxidative stress markers including superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), as well as gene expression via real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Inflammatory markers tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) were analyzed by Western blot. Histopathological evaluations were performed using hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining, and oxidative DNA damage was assessed by immunohistochemical detection of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG). GLY exposure significantly increased TNF-α and NF-κB expression while downregulating SOD and CAT levels, leading to mucosal injury and marked histopathological alterations. In the GLY+BA group, histopathological evaluation revealed reduced mucosal damage and substantial preservation of glandular architecture. These results suggest that BA confers protection against GLY-induced gastrointestinal toxicity, likely through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Keywords

• Antioxidant
• Boric acid
• Gastrointestinal toxicity
• Glyphosate
• Inflammation

Sıçanlarda glifosat kaynaklı gastrointestinal toksisiteye karşı borik asidin koruyucu etkileri: Oksidatif stres, inflamasyon ve histopatolojik belirteçler üzerinden bulgular

Abstract

Yaygın olarak kullanılan bir herbisit olan glifosat (GLY), öncelikle oksidatif stres ve inflamasyon yoluyla gastrointestinal toksisite ile ilişkilendirilmektedir. Bu çalışma, sıçanlarda GLY kaynaklı mide ve bağırsak hasarına karşı borik asidin (BA) koruyucu rolünü değerlendirmeyi amaçlamıştır. Yetişkin erkek Sprague-Dawley sıçanları kontrol, GLY ile tedavi edilen, BA ile tedavi edilen ve GLY+BA birlikte tedavi edilen gruplara ayrıldı. Hem GLY (150 mg/kg/gün) hem de BA (100 mg/kg/gün) 7 ardışık gün boyunca oral olarak uygulanmıştır. Gastrointestinal dokular, süperoksit dismutaz (SOD) ve katalaz (CAT) dahil olmak üzere oksidatif stres belirteçleri ve gerçek zamanlı polimeraz zincir reaksiyonu (PCR) yoluyla gen ekspresyonu açısından değerlendirilmiştir. İnflamatuar belirteçler olan tümör nekroz faktörü-alfa (TNF-α) ve nükleer faktör kappa B (NF-κB), Western blot ile analiz edilmiştir. Histopatolojik değerlendirmeler hematoksilen-eozin (H&E) boyama kullanılarak gerçekleştirilmiş ve oksidatif DNA hasarı, 8-hidroksi-2'-deoksiguanozin (8-OHdG) immünohistokimyasal tespiti ile değerlendirilmiştir. GLY maruziyeti, TNF-α ve NF-κB ekspresyonunu anlamlı olarak artırırken, SOD ve CAT seviyelerini düşürerek mukozal hasara ve belirgin histopatolojik değişikliklere yol açmıştır. GLY+BA grubunda, histopatolojik değerlendirme mukozal hasarın azaldığını ve glandüler yapının anlamlı olarak korunduğunu ortaya koymuştur. Bu sonuçlar, BA'nın muhtemelen antioksidan ve anti-inflamatuar özellikleri sayesinde GLY kaynaklı gastrointestinal toksisiteye karşı koruma sağladığını göstermektedir.

Keywords

• Antioksidan
• Borik asit
• Gastrointestinal toksisite
• Glifosat
• İnflamasyon

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