Acute aflatoxin B1-induced hepatic and cardiac oxidative damage in rats: Ameliorative effects of morin

Ahmed E Altyar; Osama A Kensara; Amany A Sayed; Lotfi Aleya; Mikhlid H Almutairi; Mohamed Sayed Zaazouee; Alaa Ahmed Elshanbary; Fatma M El-Demerdash; Mohamed M Abdel-Daim

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21837

Acute aflatoxin B1-induced hepatic and cardiac oxidative damage in rats: Ameliorative effects of morin

Heliyon. 2023 Nov 4;9(11):e21837. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21837. eCollection 2023 Nov.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia.
² Pharmacy Program, Batterjee Medical College, P.O. Box 6231, Jeddah, 21442, Saudi Arabia.
³ Department of Clinical Nutrition, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, P.O. Box 7067, Makkah, 21955, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, 12613, Egypt.
⁵ Chrono-Environnement Laboratory, UMR, CNRS 6249, Franche-Comté University, CEDEX, F-25030, Besançon, Bourgogne, France.
⁶ Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box: 2455, 11451, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, Egypt.
⁸ Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
⁹ Department of Environmental Studies, Institute of Graduate Studies and Research, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
¹⁰ Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmacy Program, Batterjee Medical College, P.O. Box 6231, Jeddah, 21442, Saudi Arabia.
¹¹ Pharmacology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, 41522, Egypt.

Abstract

Aflatoxins (AFs) are secondary metabolites produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus, of which Aflatoxin-B1 (AFB1) appears to be the most cancerogenic and of the highest toxicity. AFB1 causes serious effects on several organs including the liver. Morin is a flavonol that exists in many fruits and plants and has diverse biological properties including anticancer, anti-atherosclerotic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and multi-organ protective activities. The present study aims to evaluate the potential protective effects of morin against acute AFB1-induced hepatic and cardiac toxicity in rats. Forty rats were divided into five groups (n = 8) as follows: control received the vehicle, morin was orally administered 30/mg/kg body weight (MRN₃₀), the AFB1 was administered orally at a dose of 2.5 mg/kg, twice on days 12 and 14 of the experiment for the 3rd, 4th^, and 5th groups., AFB1-MRN15 was orally given morin at a dose of 15 mg/kg body weight, and AFB1-MRN30 orally received morin at 30 mg/kg body weight. The results indicated a significant decrease in serum AST, ALP, LDH, GGT, CK, CK-MB, 8-OHdG, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-a levels in MRN30 compared to AFB1, and AFB1-MRN15 groups. However, the results indicated non-significant differences in the serum levels between MRN30, control, and AFB1-MRN30 groups. Meanwhile, regarding the hepatic and cardiac parameters, there were significant differences in the levels of MDA, NO, GSH, GSH-Px, SOD, and CAT in MRN30 compared to AFB1, and AFB1-MRN15 groups, overall implying the protective effects of morin. To conclude, morin at a dose of 30 mg/kg b. wt. showed significant enhancements in acute AFB1-induced hepatic and cardiac toxicity in rats, which could play a role in limiting the public health hazards of AFs.

Keywords: Flavonoids; Heart; Inflammation; Liver; Morin; Mycotoxin; Oxidative stress.