Antioxidant activity of melatonin on fatty liver induced by ethionine in mice

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the antioxidant activity of melatonin in female mice with ethionine-induced hepatic oxidative stress (HOS), and the effect of this hormone on the gluthatione peroxidase enzyme antioxidant activity. Twenty adult female NMRI mice were given intraperitoneally 3 mg/kg melatonin in 1% ethanol daily for 15 days, and 1% ethanol to the control group. On the 13^th day of treatment, fatty liver was induced to both groups using 7.5 mg/0.02 kg ethionine. After 48 hours of food restriction, mice were sacrificed and livers dissected and sampled. Fixed tissue was used for hystopathologic analyses, and the supernatant obtained from an homogenated was used to determine concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA), conjugate dienes (DC), triglycerides (TG) and gluthatione peroxidase enzyme (GPx). Data were processed through SPSS vlO.O for Windows using the "t" test (P ≤ 0.05), and the results were expressed as X ± SD in mg TG, nm MDA and nm DC/mg proteins and per g of humid tissue and mU/mg proteins for GPx. Concentrations of TG, MDA and DC were lower (P< 0.001), while GPx activity was higher (P ≤ 0.05) in the treated group. It is concluded that administration of MLT at the given dose reduced the induced HOS in female mice. Also, administration of the hormone reduced the fatty liver and increased GPx activity.