Beneficial effect of gallic acid on oxidative stress and chronic hepatotoxicity induced by carcinogenic benzopyrene in rats

Abstract EN

Benzo[a]pyrene is an environmental pollutant, well known for its powerful genotoxic and carcinogenic effects in various organs.

Gallic acid, a widely distributed phenolic acid, possesses strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic activities.

This study investigated the effects of gallic acid on chronic liver injury induced by benzo[a]pyrene in Wistar rats.

The intoxicated group received an intraperitoneally single dose of benzo[a]pyrene at 100 mg/kg, while the treated animals were intraperitoneally injected with benzo[a]pyrene at 100 mg/kg and then they orally received gallic acid at 100 mg/kg per day for five consecutive days.

The liver toxicity was assessed by evaluation of the serum hepatic markers (alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase), the enzymatic and nonenzymatic oxidative stress indicators and the histopathological changes.

The benzo[a]pyrene administration increased the levels of malondialdehyde with a concomitant decrease in superoxide dismutase, glutathione-s-transferase and glutathione.

Parralelly, liver histological alterations were observed.

The animals treatment with gallic acid restored the alterations in liver tissues, decreased lipid peroxidation and serum marker enzyme activity and significantly improved the overall antioxidant capacity, suggesting that gallic acid was responsible of a beneficial effects against oxidative stress and hepatotoxicity induced by benzo[a]pyrene in rat.