Protective effect of rutin on the antioxidant genes expression in hypercholestrolemic male Westar rat

BACKGROUND: High-cholesterol diet (HCD) increases the oxidative stress in different tissues leading to many diseases. Rutin (RT) is a natural flavonoid (vitamin p), which possesses an antioxidant activity with protective potential. The present study aimed to examine the potential effects of rutin on hypercholesterolemia-induced hepatotoxicity in rat. METHODS: Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: GI) control (Rat chow), GII) Rutin (0.2% in rat chow), GIII) HCD (1% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid in rat chow) and GIV) rutin (0.2%) + HCD. RESULTS: Rutin in combination with HCD induced a significant protective effect against the hepatotoxicity by reducing the plasma level of alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). The HCD (GII) showed a decrease in glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR) and increase in glutathione S transferase α (GSTα), sulfiredoxin-1(Srx1), glutamate-cysteine ligase (GCL) and paraoxonase-1(PON-1) genes expression levels. CONCLUSION: Treatment with rutin reversed all the altered genes induced by HCD nearly to the control levels. The present study concluded that the HCD feedings altered the expression levels of some genes involved in the oxidative stress pathway resulting in DNA damage and hepatotoxicity. Rutin have a hepatoprotective effect through the mechanism of enhancing the antioxidant effect via amelioration of oxidative stress genes.