Evaluation of the Hepatoprotective And Nephroprotective Activities of Vitamin C and E in Paracetamol induced toxicity in Wistar Albino Rats

Abstract

Free radical-mediated cell damage can be prevented by well-known antioxidant vitamins such as Vitamins E and C, and it has been reported that Paracetamol can cause hepatotoxicity at high doses. This study evaluated the efficacy of the combination of Vitamin C and Vitamin E in the prevention of renal and hepatic cell damage caused by paracetamol toxicity. Twenty-eight male albino rats were grouped into seven of four rats per group. Vitamin C at prophylactic dosage; (200mg, 150mg, 100mg, 50mg, 25mg) and Vitamin E at prophylactic dosage; (500iu, 400iu, 300iu, 200iu, 100iu) were administered orally to the rats in groups 1 through 5, respectively with concomitant administration 1000mg/kg bw of paracetamol twice daily for seven days. Group 6 was administered 1000mg/kg of paracetamol only (untreated), and Group 7 served as the normal control. The results revealed a significantly (P < 0.05) increase in serum ALT, AST, ALP, Urea and Creatinine of the group administered 1000mg/kg of paracetamol only. The prophylactic doses of ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol significantly (P < 0.05) decrease serum ALT, AST, ALP, Urea and Creatinine level compared to the untreated rats. This study validates that co-administration of ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol at the proposed prophylactic dosages could be used in the prevention of renal and hepatic cell damage caused by paracetamol toxicity.