Identification of the Therapeutic Effects of Gamma-irradiated Chamomile Aqueous Extract A gainst Alcohol Induced Hepato- nephrotoxicity in Rats

Alcohol consumption represents the third largest risk factor for disease burden in most countries of the world and can damage several organs and systems in the body such as liver and kidney. Medicinal herb plants may act as an effective remedy for the enormous health burden posed by alcohol consumption. The aim of this study is to investigate the therapeutic effects of an aqueous extract of gamma-irradiated chamomile (GCE) (10 kGy) on alcohol- induced hepato-nephrotoxicity in rats. In this study, results of rats that received alcohol alone (1 ml of 70 % ethanol daily for 56 days) showed hepato-nephrotoxicity as indicated by significant increases in the activity of hepatic enzyme markers. These changes include:increased levels of serum creatinine, urea and uric acid with significant decreased levels of total protein, albumin and globulin. Ethanol administration also resulted in elevation in malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration and the activity of xanthine oxidase (XO) and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) with reduction in glutathione level (GSH) and the activities of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) ,xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in both liver and kidney tissues compared to control rats. Post-treatment of ethanol-administered rats with aqueous gamma-irradiated chamomile extract significantly ameliorates the deleterious effects of ethanol on all biochemical parameters and enhances the hepato-renal antioxidant status and improved alterations in hepatic alcohol metabolizing enzymes. It could be concluded that gamma-irradiated chamomile can be suggested to providea distinct treatment against ethanol induced organ damage.