protective effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles against cisplatin-induced hepatotoxicity and oxidative stress in rats

Aim and background: cisplatin (cis) is a common chemotherapy medicine that reduces hepatotoxicity. oxidative stress has been proven to be involved in cisplatin-induced toxicity. various antioxidant agents have been used to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy medicines. zinc oxide nanoparticles (nzno) have been introduced as a potent antioxidant. this study aimed at investigating the protective effects of nzno on liver tissue structure and function in cisplatin treated rats.methods: in this experimental study, 36 mature male rats were randomly allocated into three equal groups (12 rats each) and treated for 4 weeks as: 1) control group: normal saline (0.1 cc/day), 2) cis(3mg/kg/week) and 3)treatment of cis(3 mg/kg/week)+nzno(5mg/kg/day) intraperitoneally.at the end of experiment, serum levels of aspartate and alanine transaminases, lactate dehydrogenase and total bilirubin, albumin and total proteins were assessed. malondialdehyde, reduced glutathione and activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase were assayed in liver homogenates.results and discussion: in group 3, zinc oxide significantly(p< 0.05) decreased the elevated levels of serum biomarkers of hepatic injury and total bilirubin, and significantly(p<0.05) increased the reduced levels of serum albumin and total proteins. in this group, zinc oxide significantly(p<0.05) decreased the lipid peroxidation and elevated the decreased levels of hepatic antioxidants. the improvement of liver function by zinc oxide nanoparticles has been proven in past studies and is consistent with the results of this study.conclusion: the results obtained showed zinc oxide nanoparticles, because of its antioxidant potential, exerts a protective effect against cisplatin induced hepatotoxicity and oxidative stress in rats.