Investigation of the protective effect of <i>Tarantula cubensis</i> extract on the liver and brain of rats exposed to gentamicin

Aksit, Dilek; Aksit, Hasan; Altun, Eren; Celebi, Cagla; Celebi, Murat

doi:10.2754/avb202392020205

Acta Veterinaria > Archive > 2023, Vol. 92 > Issue 2 > Investigation of the protective effect…

Acta Vet. Brno 2023, 92: 205-211

https://doi.org/10.2754/avb202392020205

Investigation of the protective effect of Tarantula cubensis extract on the liver and brain of rats exposed to gentamicin

Dilek Aksit¹, Hasan Aksit², Eren Altun³, Cagla Celebi⁴, Murat Celebi⁴

¹University of Balikesir, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Cagis Campus, Balikesir, Türkiye
²University of Balikesir, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, Cagis Campus, Balikesir, Türkiye
³University of Health Sciences, Bagcilar Training and Research Hospital, Department of Pathology, Istanbul, Türkiye
⁴University of Balikesir, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Cagis Campus, Balikesir, Türkiye

Received November 17, 2022
Accepted May 4, 2023

This study aimed to investigate the possible protective effects of Tarantula cubensis extract (TCE) on the liver and brain of rats exposed to gentamicin (GM). A total of 40 male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into four equal groups: control, TCE, GM, and GM+TCE. Some biochemical indices, apoptotic markers (B-cell lymphoma 2 [Bcl-2] and Bcl-2 associated X protein [Bax]) and histopathological changes were evaluated. In the GM group, serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), total bilirubin, brain and liver tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations increased; albumin, total protein, brain and liver tissue superoxide dismutase (SOD) concentrations and the total antioxidant status (TAS) decreased. Apoptosis induced down-regulation of Bcl-2 and up-regulation of Bax in liver and brain tissues in the GM group. GM-treated animals demonstrated several histopathological changes. TCE administration restored some histopathological changes. Lipid peroxidation and apoptosis decreased, antioxidant defense increased, concentrations of some serum biochemical indices (AST, ALT, ALP, GGT, and total bilirubin) decreased, and albumin and total protein levels increased in the TCE+GM group compared to the GM group. In conclusion, high doses of GM induce adverse effects on liver and brain tissue of rats. It was concluded that TCE administration can improve these adverse effects by reducing lipid peroxidation and apoptosis, improving the antioxidant defense system. TCE can be used to protect against the toxic effect of GM and other chemical agents in the liver and brain in veterinary medicine. However, additional studies are needed to confirm this assumption.