Abstract
Background
Arsenic is ubiquitous in the environment, and long- or short-term exposure through water, food, and occupational sources can contribute to oxidative stress-related injuries. We investigated berberine (BBR, as a natural anti-oxidant) protective effects against sodium arsenite (NaAsO2) related damage.
Methods
Animals were allocated to five groups. Group 1 was used as a control. Group 2 received NaAsO2 (10 mg/kg P.O., for 3 weeks). Groups 3, 4, and 5 received oral administration of BBR (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg, respectively) within 4 weeks + NaAsO2 (10 mg/kg P.O., for 3 weeks). Twenty-four h after the last administration, markers of renal and liver function, oxidative stress, and inflammatory factors were measured.
Results
NaAsO2 exposure significantly increased hepatic enzymes, like ALT, ALP, and AST as well as markers of renal function, like creatinine and BUN, oxidative damage markers, like malondialdehyde, nitric oxide, and inflammatory markers, like NF-kB level, interleukin-1β, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. Furthermore, NaAsO2 caused a significant reduction in anti-oxidant markers (glutathione content, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase). The administration BBR + NaAsO2 caused a significant change in these factors compared to the arsenic group.
Conclusion
The BBR treatment exerted a significant protective effect on NaAsO2-related hepatorenal toxicity. These protective effects of BBR are possible because of a reduction in inflammation and oxidative stress markers.
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Data availability
Upon reasonable request, the data supporting the results of this article will be made available by the corresponding responsible author.
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Acknowledgements
This study was kindly supported by the Medicinal Plant Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran (Grant No: MPRC-9615).
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HK, MG, and ARM designed this project. MK, ZB, and MHK collected data and analyzed the data. HK and MG wrote the manuscript, modified the English version, and edited the final draft.
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Mehdi Goudarzi, Mojtaba Kalantar, Alireza Malayeri, Zahra Basir, Mojtaba Haghi Karamallah and Hadi Kalantar declare that we have no conflict of interest.
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The investigation complies with the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals published by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH Publication no. 85-23, revised 1996). The Animal Ethics Committee of the Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences approved our research protocol (Ethics code: IR.AJUMS.REC.1396.664).
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Goudarzi, M., Kalantar, M., Malayeri, A. et al. Berberine alleviates sodium arsenite-induced renal and liver toxicity by regulating oxidative stress and inflammation in rats. Toxicol. Environ. Health Sci. 15, 157–172 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13530-023-00168-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13530-023-00168-7