Article Id:JPRS-Pha-00001398 Title:Melatonin protects against lead-induced oxidative stress in stomach, duodenum and spleen of male Wistar rats Category:Pharmacology Section:Research Article
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Environmental or occupational or even accidental exposure to certain heavy metals can cause generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which are major causes of various diseases. Our present investigation demonstrates that the oral supplementation of aqueous solution ofmelatonin has the potential to protect against the oxidative stress in stomach, duodenum and spleen induced by sub-chronic exposure of theexperimental rats to the heavy metal , lead (Pb). Rats were intraperitoneally injected with lead acetate (15mg/kg body weight). Another group was pre-treated with melatonin (10 mg / kg, fed orally).The positive control group was fed melatonin (10 mg / kg), and the control animals received vehicle treatment i.p. for 7 consecutive days. The alterations in the activity of the different biomarkers of oxidative stress and the activities of the antioxidant enzymes were studied. Histo-morphological changes in the gastric, duodenal and splenic tissues were studied through H-E staining. Lead caused alterations in all the parameters studied. All these changes were mitigated in all the three tissues when the rats were pre-treated with melatonin. The results indicate that melatonin protects against lead-induced damages in stomach, duodenum and spleen in experimental rats by antioxidant mechanism. Melatonin may have future therapeutic relevance in the prevention of lead-induced gastro-toxicity as well as in splenic toxicity and duodenal toxicity in humans exposed occupationally or environmentally to this toxic heavy metal and may be used for development of new drug with almost no or minimum side-effect.
1 Department of Physiology, University of Calcutta, University College of Science and Technology,92, APC Road, Kolkata 700 009 India. #Principal Investigator, Centre with Potential for Excellence in a Particular Area (CPEPA),University of Calcutta, University College of Science and Technology, 92 APC Road, Kolkata 700 009 India. 2Department of Physiology, Vidyasagar College, 39, Shankar Ghosh Lane, Kolkata 700009, India.
*Corresponding author. Dr. Debasish Bandyopadhyay Oxidative Stress and Free Radical Biology Laboratory, Department of Physiology University of Calcutta University College of Science and Technology 92, APC Road, Kolkata 700 009 India
Received on:17-08-2013; Revised on:16-09-2013; Accepted on:21-10-2013