Abstract
•Effects of curcumin (Cr) and chitosan (Ch) nanoparticles towards the Cadmium (Cd)-induced oxidative stress were studied in Swiss strain adult male mice.•The non-enzymatic as well as enzymatic Oxidative Stress (OS) in liver and kidney and on some blood indices were estimated.•Cd-induced significant increase in TBARS and decrease in GSH, GST, CAT and SOD levels in the tissues, and affected blood indices were ameliorated by Cr and Ch nanoparticles (NPS).•Cr-NPS, Ch-NPS, and CC-NPS may act as natural antioxidants and among the three, CC-NPS appears to be the best antioxidant.
The present study intends to compare the influence of pre-treatment with nanoparticles of curcumin (Cr-NPS), chitosan (Ch-NPS) and nanocomposites chitosan-curcumin (CC-NPS) on cadmium (Cd)-induced oxidative damage in the liver, kidneys, and blood indices in Swiss strain adult male mice. The pretreated mice with Cr-NPS, Ch-NPS, and CC-NPS were exposed to Cd (10mg/kg) for three weeks. The non-enzymatic Oxidative Stress (OS) indices like lipid peroxides (TBARS), reduced total glutathione (GSH), enzymatic OS indices like catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were estimated together with some blood indices. Cadmium was able to induce a significant increase in TBARS and a significant decrease in GSH, GST, CAT and SOD levels in all the tissues, which were pretreated with nanocomposite. Furthermore, the blood indices like counts of red and white blood cells, platelets, hemoglobin and packed cell volume were also depleted due to Cd exposure but remained unaffected and kept under normal levels in pretreated mice group. The results indicate that Cr-NPS, Ch-NPS, and CC-NPS may act as natural antioxidants and when compared among the three, CC-NPS appears to be the best antioxidant.