Role of nanocurcumin on experimentally induced alpha-amanitin toxicity in rats

Abstract

Alpha-amanitin is considered to be the main toxin present in mushroom species of Amanita phalloides and it is possibly the most deadly of all amatoxins. The aim of this study was to test whether nanocurcumin could revert the hepatic damage in experimentally induced Alpha-amanitin rats, tested with nanocurcumin in following protocols: Group I served as negative control group (PBS @1ml/kg p.o), Group II served as positive control group (α-AMA @0.2 ml/kg p.o single dose), Group III served as Standard group (α-AMA @0.2 ml/kg p.o single dose + silymarin @100 mg/kg p.o.), Group IV (α-AMA @0.2 ml/kg p.o single dose + curcumin @800 mg/kg p.o), Group V (α-AMA @0.2 ml/kg p.o single dose + nanocurcumin @200 mg/kg p.o.), Group VI (α-AMA @0.2 ml/kg p.o single dose + nanocurcumin @400 mg/kg p.o), Group VII (α-AMA @0.2 ml/kg p.o single dose + nanocurcumin @800 mg/kg p.o) for four consecutive weeks. Our results showed that after 24 hours of Alpha-amanitin administration serum transaminase, urea, BUN and creatinine was found to be increased whereas, serum Total protein (TP) and haemoglobin decreased significantly This study of treatment with Nanocurcumin were also compared with curcumin and silymarin. The overall results suggest that Nanocurcumin induces a beneficial effect by significantly improving the functional parameters particularly in alpha-amanitin induced hepatotoxicity in rats.