Role of citicoline as a protective agent on toluene-induced toxicity in rats

Abstract EN

Background/aim Toluene is used as an organic solvent; it has toxic effects on liver, renal, and neurological tissues.

Citicoline has antioxidant effects.

The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of citicoline against toluene-induced toxicity in rats.

Material and methods A total of 24 rats were divided in four equal groups with six rats each.

Rats in group 1 were the control.

Rats in group 2 were exposed to toluene intraperitoneally at 900 mg/kg.

Rats in group 3 were exposed to toluene 900 mg/kg in combination with citicoline at 150 mg/kg orally.

The rats in group 4 were exposed to toluene 900 mg/kg in combination with citicoline 300 mg/kg orally.

All treatments were used daily for 6 days.

All rats were killed by decapitation.

Tissue sections were stained with routine histological methods and examined under light microscope.

In addition, sections were immunohistochemically staining with caspase-3 for liver and renal tissues and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) for brain tissue, and area percentage of positivity was measure by image analysis system.

Results Histopathological and immunomorphometric studies of GFAP in brain and caspase-3 in liver and kidney were done.

Toluene-treated groups showed vacuolar degeneration of hepatocytes and epithelial lining of renal tubules, neuronal damage, and neurodegeneration.

There was an increase in caspase-3 in liver and kidney, which show marked increase in control positive rats that treated with toluene alone, but when large dose of citicoline 300 mg was added to toluene, the area percentage of caspase-3 was markedly decreased in liver and kidney.

In addition, GFAP expression in brain tissue was decreased in toluene-treated control positive group, which then increased when treated with citicoline especially with a large dose.

Conclusion The results of this study indicate that citicoline treatment can protect against toluene-induced toxicity in rats.