Hesperidin, a Citrus Bioflavonoid Attenuates Liver Oxidative Stress in Rats Produced by Carbon Tetrachloride and Irradiation

Carbon Tetrachloride (CCl4) is a well-known environmental biohazard. It is particularly toxic to the liver, where it causes hepatocellular degeneration, necrosis and impairs different enzymatic systems. Hesperidin (HDN); a flavanone abundant in citrus fruits, was reported to provide health benefits including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory effects as well as vascular protection properties. The present study was designed to establish the role of HDN to prevent liver damages induced by a chemical pollutant CCl4 and/ or by irradiation through the production of an oxidative stress. Animals received HDN (80 mg/ kg body wt orally) 2 weeks before and during exposure to cumulative ?-radiation dose (2 Gy up to 12 Gy) and CCl4 intake of (1 ml/ kg body wt subcutaneously). Liver enzymes and tumour markers for liver injuries were estimated in serum. Oxidative stress in liver tissue was estimated using malonaldehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) content, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities. The results obtained showed that exposures to gamma-rays and CCl4 separately or in combination induced hepatotoxicity as manifested bio-chemically by an increase in liver enzymes and tumour markers, and elevation of MDA in liver tissues as well as a decrease in GSH and the activities of antioxidant enzymes compared to control animals. In addition, marked decrease in haemoglobin level and serum total protein were observed while, iron (Fe) and cupper (Cu) contents were elevated. Treatment with HDN significantly restored the elevated activities of liver marker enzymes, depressed the concentrations of tumour markers and also enhanced the antioxidant enzyme activities. It also reduced hepatic lipid peroxidation and increased the serum total protein. In conclusion, the present data demonstrate that HDN, through its free radical scavenging and antioxidant properties, attenuated the hepatotoxicity as an indirect target of CCl4 and Irradiation induced hepatic injury, suggesting that HDN may have a potential benefit in enhancing the success of radiotherapy