Abstract
Lead toxicity is a major public health concern. This study was designed to investigate the effects of oral administration of tannic acid (TA) on lead acetate (LA)-induced oxidative stress in rat liver and kidney. Rats were treated with 50 mg/kg body weight of TA against LA-induced oxidative stress 3 times/week for 2 weeks. At a rate of 50 mg/kg of body weight, LA was given intraperitoneally 3 times/week for 2 weeks. Results show significantly elevated levels of oxidative stress markers observed in LA-treated rats, whereas significant depletion in the activity of nonenzymatic and enzymatic antioxidants as well as histological changes were observed in LA-treated rat liver and kidney. TA treatment significantly attenuated the altered levels of oxidative stress biomarkers for nonenzymatic and enzymatic antioxidants. We demonstrated that TA exhibits potent antioxidant and protected against oxidative damage in rat liver and kidney induced by LA treatment. These findings were further supported by histopathological findings in liver and kidney showing that TA protected tissue from the deleterious effects of LA treatment. These outcomes suggest that the consumption of TA may confer a protective effect against lead intoxication through its antioxidative effect.