Astaxanthin supplementation mitigates oxidative stress by enhancing antioxidant capacity and restoring oxidation-antioxidant balance in Wistar rats exposed to cadmium toxicity

Background Astaxanthin is a carotenoid phytochemical primarily found in Haematococcus pluvialis , Chlamydomonas nivalis , and various algae and crustaceans. Aims/objectives This study aimed to evaluate astaxanthin's in vivo antioxidant properties and investigate its effectiveness in mitigating oxidative stress induced by cadmium exposure. Methods/methodology Eighty experimental rats were divided into four groups ( n = 20 each): an untreated control group (Group 1), an astaxanthin-treated group (Group 2), a cadmium-exposed group (Group 3), and a cadmium-astaxanthin group (Group 4). Rats in Group 2 received daily oral doses of astaxanthin at 50 mg/kg body weight, and those in Group 3 were given an aqueous solution of cadmium chloride at a final concentration of 5 mg/kg b.w. per day. Rats in Group 4 were treated with both astaxanthin and cadmium chloride. Hematological and biochemical assays were conducted to achieve the study's objectives. Results/findings The hematological and biochemical profiles of the cadmium-exposed rats (Group 3) showed significant alterations compared to the untreated control. In the biochemical assessments (serum profile), the astaxanthin-treated animals (Group 2) exhibited no significant changes compared to the untreated control. Conversely, rats in Group 4 (exposed to cadmium and treated with astaxanthin) showed increased levels of total proteins and significant increases in antioxidant markers, including total thiols, glutathione, total antioxidant capacity, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase. Additionally, this group demonstrated significant decreases in blood cadmium levels, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, urea, bilirubin, and oxidative markers and malondialdehyde compared to the cadmium-only group (Group 3). Tissue homogenates from the liver and kidneys of Group 3 exhibited similar results to those revealed by serum biochemical analyses. Conclusion The study concluded that astaxanthin possesses effective antioxidant properties that significantly help reduce the oxidative stress induced by cadmium exposure.