Methanolic extract of Moringa oleifera leaf and low doses of gamma radiation alleviated amiodarone-induced lung toxicity in albino rats

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of methanolic extract of Moringa oleifera (MO) and/or low doses of gamma radiation (LDR) on amiodarone (AMD)-induced lung toxicity in rats. AMD administered to female albino rats (100 mg/kg body weight) for 10 consecutive days. Rats received methanolic extract of MO (250 mg/kg bwt) for 15 successive days and/or were exposed to whole body LDR (0.25Gy on the 1^st and 10^th days, up to a total dose of 0.5Gy). MO administration induced a significant decrease in serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) levels as well as lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity. Also, the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydroxyproline (HYP) was significantly decreased in lung tissue. Furthermore, MO significantly increased reduced glutathione (GSH) content in lung tissue as compared with AMD. The histopathological investigation of lung tissue revealed the appearance of interstitial pneumonia in rats treated with AMD. The oral administration of MO and/or exposure to LDR reversed the biochemical and histopathological alterations induced by AMD. It can be posited that MO and LDR might have a considerable role in the prevention of lung toxicity induced by AMD.