Ameliorative action of cyanobacterial phycoerythrin on CCl4-induced toxicity in rats

Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is largely used as solvent in chemical industries. Carbon tetrachloride is also well known for hepatic and renal toxic actions. The in vivo metabolism of carbon tetrachloride to trichloromethyl (CCl3) and peroxy trichloromethyl (OOCCl3) radicals has been extensively reported to cause acute liver damage like cirrhosis, steatosis and necrosis. We have evaluated protective action of purified cyanobacterial phycoerythrin (C-PE) on carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic and renal toxicity in male rats. Rats were orally treated with 25 and 50 mg/kg BW of C-PE along with CCl4 (50% CCl4, 0.5 ml/kg BW, intraperitoneally) for 28 consecutive days. Results demonstrated that C-PE dose-responsively ameliorates CCl4-toxicity by significantly decreasing (P < 0.05) organs weight, aminotransferases, alkaline phosphatase, glucose, lipid profile, creatinine, uric acid and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations with rise in body weight, food intake, hemoglobin, protein, bilirubin and FRAP values. Neither C-PE nor CCl4 influenced on serum minerals. Hepatic and renal tissues showed significant decline (P < 0.05) in malondialdehyde, lipid hydroperoxides and conjugated dienes with rise in SOD, catalase, GPx, GSH, vitamin-E and vitamin-C levels. Presently observed pharmacological effect on CCl4 toxicity were from tetrapyrrole molecule and to some extent bilirubin biotransformations, as well as metabolic (dietary protein) actions of C-PE.