Protective effect of omega-3 on Doxorubicin-induced hepatotoxicity in male albino rats

Doxorubicin (DOX) is an antineoplastic anthracycline used to treat various forms of cancer. Although DOX is an effective chemotherapeutic agent, it has been documented to cause oxidative damage in several body organs. The present study aimed to investigate the protective effects of omega-3 against doxorubicin-induced hepatic toxicity in adult male rats. Animals were divided into four groups. The first group was orally administered with 0.5ml corn oil and served as a control group. The second group was treated with omega-3 fatty acid (400mg/kg b.w) daily for 30 days. The third group was injected intraperitoneally with a single dose of DOX (30mg/kg b.w). Animals in the fourth group were treated with omega-3 at the same dose level as those of group 2 followed by intraperitoneal injection of a single dose of DOX as in the third group. Injecting animals with DOX induces various histological changes in the liver. These changes include congestion and dilatation of blood vessels, leucocytic infiltration, cytoplasmic vacuolization, degenerated hepatocytes, and pyknotic nuclei. Moreover, DOX caused a significant elevation in serum ALT, AST, LDH, lipid profile, total bilirubin, total protein, albumin, and globulin after 4 weeks of treatment. It also caused an increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) and depletion of the antioxidant enzymes, catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and reduced glutathione reduced (GSH). Treating animals with omega 3 fatty acids in combination with DOX led to an improvement in the histological and biochemical changes induced by DOX together with a significant decrease in the level of MDA and an increase in the activity of antioxidant enzymes. The results of the present work indicated that omega-3 fatty acid had a protective effect against liver damage induced by Doxorubicin and this is due to its antioxidant activities.