Boldenone is an anabolic steroid developed for veterinary use. Recently, it is used by bodybuilders in both off-season and pre-contest, where it is well known for increasing vascularity while preparing for a bodybuilding contest. So, the present study was designed to investigate the possible effect of using growth promoter boldenone undecylenate on the rabbit liver tissue. Thirty-two adult New Zealand rabbits were divided into four groups (8 animals each). Control group includes animals that injected intramuscularly with olive oil and dissected after 3 weeks. The experimental groups include animals that receive one, two and three intramuscular injections of 5 mg/kg body weight boldenone, respectively. The animals were dissected after 3, 6 and 9 weeks respectively, where the interval of each dose of boldenon was 3 weeks. Small pieces of the liver tissues were sent for the histopathological examination. Apoptotic p53 and antiapoptotic Bc1-2 proteins were localized immunohistochemically. Histological observations of the liver tissue showed that the sinusoidal congestion was the most prominent feature that extended from the centrilobular to the periportal regions. Hepatocellular vacuolation in the centrilobular region was also detected. Liver immunohistochemical observation showed a significant increase of the apoptotic protein p53 and a significant decrease in the antiapoptotic Bc1-2 proteins. The highest frequency of p53 positive cells was observed in the liver sections of three dose of boldenone injections, while the lowest in control group, also the highest frequency of Bcl-2 positive cells was observed in the liver sections of control group while the lowest in three dose of boldenone injections. The present results investigate that people should be careful if they want to use such steroids to enhance their strength and endurance.
Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a toxic compound commonly found as a contaminant in human food. It is carcinogenic due its potential in inducing the oxidative stress and distortion of the most antioxidant enzymes. Since black tea possesses strong antioxidant activity, it protects cells and tissues against oxidative stress. Curcumin (CMN), a naturally occurring agent, has a combination of biological and pharmacological properties that include antioxidant activity. Therefore, the present study was carried out to investigate the possible role of separate and mixed supplementation of black tea extract and CMN in the hepatotoxicity induced by AFB1 in rats. A total of 48: adult male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into eight groups with six rats in each group. Group 1 (normal control) includes rats that received no treatment. Groups 2, 3, and 4 (positive control) include rats that received olive oil, black tea extract, and CMN, respectively. Group 5 includes rats that received AFB1 at a dose of 750 μg/kg body weight (b.w.) dissolved in olive oil. Groups 6, 7, and 8 include rats that received AFB1 along with 2% black tea extract, CMN at a dose of 200 mg/kg b.w., and both black tea extract and CMN at the same previous doses, respectively. After 90 days, biochemical and histopathological examination was carried out for the blood samples and liver tissues. A significant decrease in the antioxidant enzymes and a significant increase in the lipid peroxidation and hydrogen peroxide in the rats treated with AFB1 were observed. Moreover, there were dramatic changes in the liver function biomarkers, lipid profile, and liver architecture. Supplementation of black tea extract or CMN showed an efficient role in repairing the distortion of the biochemical and histological changes induced by AFB1 in liver. This improvement was more pronounced when both CMN and black tea were used together.
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