Toxic effects of excess exposure to boric acid on serum biochemical aspect, hematology and histological alterations and ameliorative potential role of melatonin in rats

The current work clarifies the negative effects of excess exposure to boric acid (H(3)BO(3)) as a boron-containing compound on rats and the possible ameliorative effect of melatonin (MEL). Forty rats were equally divided into 5 groups as follows: group 1 was treated as control while groups 2, 3, 4 and 5 were orally administered corn oil (0.5 ml), H(3)BO(3) (1330 mg/kg BW), MEL (10 mg/kg BW) and H(3)BO(3) + MEL for 28 consecutive days, respectively. At the end of the experiment, blood was sampled for biochemical and hematological analysis and tissues were collected for histopathological examination. The obtained results demonstrated that the exposure to H(3)BO(3) induced hepatorenal dysfunctions, alterations in bone-related minerals and hormones levels, prostaglandin E2 as inflammatory mediator and hematological indices. H(3)BO(3) induced histological alterations in the liver, kidneys, bone and skin. The co-administration of MEL with H(3)BO(3) resulted in a significant improvement in most of the measured parameters and restoration of morpho-functional state of different organs compared to the H(3)BO(3) group. In conclusion, the study clearly demonstrated that H(3)BO(3)- induced various adverse effects and that melatonin may be beneficial in a partial mitigating the H(3)BO(3) and may represent a novel approach in the counteracting its toxicity.