The role of Bax/Bcl-2 and Nrf2-Keap-1 signaling pathways in mediating the protective effect of boric acid on acrylamide-induced acute liver injury in rats

Introduction: This study aims to investigate whether boric acid (BA) can protect rats from acrylamide (AA)induced acute liver injury. Materials and methods: AA was used to induce acute liver injury. Thirty rats were divided into five group including Group 1 (saline), Group 2 (AA), Group 3 (20 mg/kg BA), Group 4 (10 mg/kg BA+AA) and Group 5 (20 mg/kg BA+AA). Their blood and liver were harvested to be kept for analysis. Liver function enzyme activities were performed by spectrophotometric method. Catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and malondialdehyde levels were determined by colorimetric method. The in-silico studies were performed using the "blind docking" method. Results: Administration AA to rats, biochemical parameters, liver histology, and expression levels of apoptotic markers were negatively affected. However, after the administration of BA, the altered biochemical parameters, liver histology, and expression levels of apoptotic markers were reversed. Moreover, the mechanisms of AA-induced deterioration in the levels of SOD, CAT, and Nrf2-Keap-1 and the mechanisms of the protective effect of BA against these deteriorations were explained by in silico studies. Conclusion: Thus, the present study could explain the interactions between AA and thiol-containing amino acid residues of Keap-1, the effect of BA on these interactions, and the biochemical toxicity caused by the AA. In this sense, this work is the first of its kind in the literature. Based on the biochemical, histopathological, and in silico results, it can be suggested that BA has the potential to be used as a protective agent against AA-induced liver injury.