This study aims to examine the ability of apple vinegar on phenylhydrazine (PHZ)-induced hemolytic anemia in Wistar rats. In vitro, phenolic and flavonoid content and antioxidant activity were determined. In vivo, phenylhydrazine (10 mg/kg) was injected intravenously into rats for 4 days and then treated with apple vinegar daily by gavage (1 mL/kg) for five weeks. high level of polyphenols and flavonoids (90 ± 1.66 mg GAE/100 mL and 7.29 ± 0.23 mg QE/100 mL, respectively) were found in the apple vinegar which gives it a good ability to scavenge free radicals (TAC = 4.22 ± 0.18 mg AAE/100 mL and DPPH, IC50 = 0.49 ± 0.004 µL/ml). The phytochemical composition of apple vinegar revealed the presence of numerous bioactive compounds including arbutin, apigenin, sinapic, ferulic and trans-ferulic acids. The major antioxidant components in apple vinegar were ferulic and trans-ferulic acids (40% and 43%, respectively). PHZ treatment induced changes in platelets, blood cell count, mean corpuscular volume, hemoglobin concentration and mean capsulated hemoglobin. However, the co-administration of apple vinegar revealed its capacity to ameliorate the changes induced by phenylhydrazine. Therefore, apple vinegar use could have a positive impact on the prevention of hemolytic anemia induced by phenylhydrazine due to the antioxidant properties of its major components.
Keywords: LC-MS/MS; anemia; antioxidant activity; apple vinegar; natural products; phenylhydrazine.