Ameliorative action of cyanobacterial phycoerythrin on CCl(4)-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.