Hepatoprotective potential of sciadopitysin against paraquat induced liver damage in rats

Paraquat (PQ) is among the most widely used herbicides in the agriculture sector worldwide and is extremely noxious to both animals and humans. Paraquat exposure damages various organs in the body, particularly the liver. Sciadopitysin (SCD), a biflavonoid that is reported in Ginko biloba leaves, shows diverse biological potentials such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The primary focus of this research was to estimate the effects of SCD against PQ-instigated hepatic toxicity in rats. Forty-eight male albino rats were randomly split into 4 groups: control group, PQ (5 mgkg(-1)) treated group, PQ (5 mgkg(-1)) + SCD (2 mgkg(-1)) co-treated group and SCD (2 mgkg(-1)) only treated group. After 30 days of experimentation, PQ exposure lowered the expression of Nrf-2 and antioxidants genes, while increasing the expression of Keap-1. The activities of antioxidants, including heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GSR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione (GSH) as well as total protein levels, were reduced following PQ administration. Moreover, malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) contents were elevated in PQ exposed rats. PQ intoxication also increased the expressions of Bax and Caspase-3, while down-regulating Bcl-2 expressions. Furthermore, PQ exposure induced morphological alterations in the liver. Nevertheless, SCD treatment reduced all PQ-elicited damages in the liver of rats owing to its free radical scavenging potential.