Abstract
This investigation was designed to study the ameliorative mechanisms of curcumin (CUR) and / or coenzyme Q10 (CO Q10) in comparison to the antithyroid drug, carbamizole, against hyperthyroidism induced liver damage. Hyperthyroidism was induced in rats through injection of L-thyroxine (LT4, 0.3mg/kg) subcutaneously for 12 consecutive days. CUR (100mg/Kg) and /or CO Q10 (50mg/Kg) or carbamizole (30mg/kg) were administered to hyperthyroidism rats for 21 consecutive days simultaneously with LT4 administration. The results revealed that oral intake of CUR and /or CO Q10 or carbamizole to hyperthyroidism rats, significantly reduced the serum levels of thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) and boosted the level of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) with respect to hyperthyroidism rats. The used agents also reduced the hepatic increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) and increased the levels of catalase and glutathione (GSH) in hyperthyroidism rats. In addition, treatment with CUR and /or CO Q10 or carbamizole efficiently attenuated the hepatic DNA damage, the hepatic increase in caspase-3, the serum elevation in tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) as well as the alteration in serum liver function indices namely alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and albumin in hyperthyroidism rats with respect to untreated ones. Liver histopathological and ultrastructural studies were also done to confirm the biochemical investigation.
Conclusion: The current work demonstrated that CUR and /or CO Q10 were effective in mitigating hyperthyroidism induced liver damage. Carbimazole was the least efficient in reversing liver damage, however the combination of CUR and CO Q10 was the beneficial one in restoring hyperthyroidism induced liver dysfunction.