Abstract
Iron overload is induced as a result of a lot of disorders, particularly in thalassemia major, and is considered the main cause of mortality in spite of the recently-achieved advances in chelation therapy. The main aim of the present study was to investigate the in vivo antioxidant and Fe-chelating characteristics of both aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the marine green macroalga Caulerpa racemosa (Chlorophyta) to clearly assess its possible applications in Fe-chelating therapy, and to reduce iron-related complications for the Improvement of patients' lives. Forty male albino rats were randomly split into four equal groups: The first group was the control; the second one represented the iron overload group (ID); the third group was treated with the iron overload and an aqueous extract of C. racemosa; and the fourth group was composed of the iron overload and C. racemosa ethanolic extract. Rats were received six doses of iron dextran (12.5 mg/100 gm body weight (B.W.) by intraperitoneal injections (IP) and administrated C. racemosa (200 mg/kg B.W.) as one daily IP until the end of the experiment. The levels of iron depositions in liver, heart and brain were significantly increased in the ID treatment group compared to the control. Serum ferritin, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), unsaturated iron binding capacity (UIBC) and transferrin were also highly increased in the ID treatment group. Nevertheless, these iron profiles were significantly decreased in the ID + C. racemosa treatment groups (both the aqueous and ethanolic algal extracts) compared to the ID group only. Moreover, C. racemosa extracts distinctly down-modulated iron overload causing dramatic increases in serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), which were significantly increased in the ID group compared to the control. This study showed that treatments with C. racemosa extracts effectively ameliorated the increased malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO). A significant decrease in antioxidant enzyme activities such superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (Gpx) and catalase (CAT) activities were only observed in the ID group compared to the control. However, these enzymes were significantly increased in the C. racemosa-treated groups. No toxic effects were distinctly detected in rats treated with the applied aqueous and ethanolic C. racemosa extracts and this obaservation was confirmed by the histopathological studies. In conclusion, this study confirms the in vivo evidence that C. racemosa administration, especially the ethanolic extract, can highly improve the antioxidant defense systems against IDinduced hepatic, cardiac and neuro-oxidative stresses in rats. These protective characteristics of C. racemosa might be attributed to its remarkable antioxidant (total phenolics, total flavonoids, DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging, and reducing power) and Fe-chelation properties.