The effects of melatonin on liver functions in arsenic-induced liver damage
İlhan Bali1, Bülent Bilir2, Seyfi Emir1, Filiz Turan3, Ahsen Yılmaz4, Tuba Gökkuş4, Murat Aydın4
1Department of General Surgery, Namık Kemal University School of Medicine, Tekirdağ, Turkey
2Department of Internal Medicine, Namık Kemal University School of Medicine, Tekirdağ, Turkey
3Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Namık Kemal University School of Medicine, Tekirdağ, Turkey
4Department of Medical Biochemistry, Namık Kemal University School of Medicine, Tekirdağ, Turkey
Abstract
Objective: Arsenic exposure is increasing in communities due to environmental pollution and industrial development. Arsenic is toxic to organ systems because it causes oxidative stress, enzymatic inhibition, and damage to protein structures. The liver, for example, is an organ that may be damaged by arsenic, and this damage may cause various clinical conditions like hepatic failure or cancer. Melatonin is a hormone that acts like an antioxidant, an anti-inflammatory agent, and a cytoprotective agent. In this study, we aimed to evaluate melatonin’s protective effects on livers damaged by arsenic toxicity.
Material and Methods: Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley male rats were classified into three groups: a control group, an arsenic applied group, and an arsenic plus 10 mg/kg melatonin applied group. At the end of the fifteen-day experiment, the rats were sacrificed. Albumin, Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Total Protein, Alanine Transaminase, serum Aspartate Transaminase, Macrophage migration inhibitory factor, and Monocyte chemotactic protein 1 measurements were taken.
Results: In rats with liver damage due to arsenic exposure, melatonin administration significantly decreased the levels of IL-6, macrophage migration inhibitory factor, and monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (by p<0.001, p=0.02 and p=0.04, respectively).
Conclusion: After evaluating liver enzymes and inflammatory markers, this study determined that melatonin exposure improves liver tissue damage caused by arsenic exposure with the degree of improvement varying based on the levels of arsenic exposure.
Keywords: Arsenic, Melatonin, Interleukin-6, Macrophage migration inhibitory factor, Monocyte chemotactic protein 1
Ethics committee approval was received for this study from the ethics committee of Namık Kemal University.
Externally peer-reviewed.
Concept - İ.B.; Design - İ.B., B.B., M.A.; Supervision - S.E., F.T.; Resources - İ.B., B.B., S.E.; Materials - M.A.; Data Collection and/or Processing - A.Y., T.G.; Analysis and/or Interpretation - İ.B., B.B., S.E., M.A.; Literature Search - İ.B., M.A., A.Y., F.T.; Writing Manuscript - İ.B., M.A.; Critical Review - S.E., B.B., F.T.; Other - A.Y., T.G.
No conflict of interest was declared by the authors.
The authors declared that this study has received no financial support.