Investigation of the Anti-inflammatory Effects of Astaxanthin on Liver Tissue in Lipopolysaccharide-induced Sepsis in Rats

Objective: Corticosteroids are one of the treatment methods used to prevent inflammation in sepsis. This study aimed to determine the anti-inflammatory activity of astaxanthin in sepsis and compare it with dexamethasone. Materials and Methods: After approval of the local ethics committee, 40 Sprague-Dawley male rats were randomly assigned to the control group (n=8), lipopolysaccharide group (n=8), astaxanthin group (n=8), astaxanthin + lipopolysaccharide group (n=8) and dexamethasone + lipopolysaccharide group (n=8). On day 1, these groups were given dimethyl sulfoxide, Salmonella typhimurium lipopolysaccharide, astaxanthin dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide, astaxanthin and lipopolysaccharide and dexamethasone and lipopolysaccharide, respectively. After 24 hours, rats underwent laparotomy, and liver and blood samples were taken. GraphPad Prism 6 was used for statistical analysis. P values less than 0.05 were considered significant. Results: Nuclear factor-kappa B levels in both treatment groups significantly decreased when compared with the lipopolysaccharide group. Apoptotic cells and reaction severity decreased significantly in the treatment groups compared with the lipopolysaccharide group. Conclusion: This study revealed that the use of astaxanthin had a positive effect on liver tissue undergoing treatment for sepsis. Moreover, despite some differences, measurement values were comparable when dexamethasone was administered.