The effect of melatonin on the liver of rats exposed to microwave radiation

B. Djordjevic*, D. Sokolovic, G. Kocic, A. Veljkovic, M. Despotovic, J. Basic, T. Jevtovic-Stoimenov, D. M. Sokolovic

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

15 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objectives: We aimed to clarify if melatonin treatment (2 mg/kg i.p.) may favorably impact the liver tissue in rats exposed to microwave radiation. The experiment was performed on 84 six-weeks-old Wistar male rats exposed for 4h a day, for 20, 40 and 60 days, respectively, to microwaves (900 MHz, 100-300 microT, 54-160 V/m). Rats were divided in to four groups: I (control) - rats treated with saline, II (Mel) - rats treated with melatonin, III (MWs) - microwave exposed rats, IV (MWs + Mel) - MWs exposed rats treated with melatonin. We evaluated oxidative stress parameters (malondialdehyde and carbonyl group content), catalase, xanthine oxidase, deoxyribonuclease I and II activity. Background: Oxidative stress is the key mechanism of the microwave induced tissue injury. Melatonin, a lipophilic indoleamine primarily synthesized and released from the pineal gland is a powerful antioxidant. Results: Exposure to microwaves caused an increase in malondialdehyde after 40 (p < 0.01), protein carbonyl content after 20 (p < 0.05), catalase (p < 0.05) and xantine oxidase activity (p < 0.05) after 40 days. Increase in deoxyribonuclease I activity was observed after 60 days (p < 0.05), while deoxyribonuclease II activity was unaffected. Melatonin treatment led to malondialdehyde decrease after 40 days (p< 0.05), but surprisingly had no effect on other analyzed parameters. Conclusion: Melatonin exerts certain antioxidant effects in the liver of rats exposed to microwaves, by diminishing the intensity of lipid peroxidation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)96-100
Number of pages5
JournalBratislava Medical Journal
Volume116
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • DNAse
  • Liver
  • Melatonin
  • Microwaves
  • Oxidative stress

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