Evaluation of the efficacy of glutathione against aflatoxicosis in Oreochromis niloticus on hepatic antioxidants and gene expression of CYP1A and GPx

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of reduced glutathione (GSH) and its curative prospective for the alleviation of aflatoxicosis in Oreochromis niloticus. 180 apparently healthy O. niloticus were assigned to six groups (A–F); A and B were kept as a negative and positive control of AFB1. Fish in groups C and D were injected with GSH at 3 and 6 mg/kg body weight, BW, respectively), while those in groups E and F were injected at the start of the experiment by AFB1 (6 mg/kg BW) then at the 7th day, they were injected with GSH at two doses. The results showed that AFB1 has a significant potency for increasing plasma creatinine and uric acid and for reducing the values of plasma urea and hepatic antioxidants. In addition, AFB1 reflected an up-regulation in the expression of the hepatic gene of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and cytochrome CYP1A. The therapeutic efficacy of GSH against aflatoxicosis was recorded at the low level of GSH that improved values of both uric acid and hepatic antioxidants. In addition to that, GSH reflected up-regulated and down-regulated GPx and CYP1A gene expressions, respectively in fish group E, which gave a splendid indicator of the positive ability of GSH in the detoxification of aflatoxin in O. niloticus, while the optimal level of GSH antioxidant for detoxification of aflatoxin effects may need more studies.