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An Investigation into the Protective Effects of Various Doses of Boric Acid on Liver, Kidney, and Brain Tissue Damage Caused by High Levels of Acute Alcohol Consumption

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Abstract

Acute high-dose alcohol consumption can lead to oxidative stress, which can cause harm to organs. In this study we aim to determine whether administering boric acid (BA) can protect certain organs (liver, kidney, and brain) from the damaging effects of alcohol by reducing oxidative stress. We used 50 and 100 mg/kg of BA. Thirty-two Sprague Dawley (12–14-week-old) male rats in our study were separated into four groups (n=8); control, ethanol, ethanol+50 mg/kg BA, and ethanol+100 mg/kg BA groups. Acute ethanol was given to rats by gavage at 8 g/kg. BA doses were given by gavage 30 min before ethanol administration. Alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) measurements were made in blood samples. The total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), OSI (oxidative stress index) (TOS/TAS), malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities were measured to determine the oxidative stress induced by high-dose acute ethanol in the liver, kidney, and brain tissue, and the antioxidant effects of BA doses. According to our biochemical results, acute high-dose ethanol increases oxidative stress in liver, kidney, and brain tissues, while BA reduces the damage in tissues with its antioxidant effect. For the histopathological examinations, hematoxylin-eosin staining was performed. As a result, we found that the effect of alcohol-induced oxidative stress on liver, kidney, and brain tissues was different, and that giving boric acid reduces the increased oxidative stress in tissues due to its antioxidant effect. It was found that 100mg/kg BA administration had a higher antioxidant effect than in the 50mg/kg group.

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Funding

The study was funded by the Cankiri Karatekin University’s Scientific Research Projects Commission, with the project number 2021/EYO210621B14.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Eldivan Vocational School of Health Services, Çankırı Karatekin University, Çankırı, Turkey

    Ayşegül Oğlakçı İlhan

  2. Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, Turkey

    Betül Can & Güngör Kanbak

  3. Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Kütahya Health Sciences University, Kütahya, Turkey

    Fatih Kar

  4. Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Kütahya Health Sciences University, Kütahya, Turkey

    Ayşe Çakır Gündoğdu

  5. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Demiroğlu Bilim University, Istanbul, Turkey

    İbrahim Söğüt

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  1. Ayşegül Oğlakçı İlhan
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  2. Betül Can
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Contributions

A.O.İ., B.C., F.K., and İ.S designed the study. A.O.İ., B.C., F.K., and İ.S. performed surgical operations. A.O.İ., B.C., F.K., İ.S., and G.K. analyzed biochemical experiments. A.Ç.G. performed histological analyses. A.O.İ interpreted the statistical data. A.O.İ. wrote the paper and interpreted the data. All the authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ayşegül Oğlakçı İlhan.

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All animal research protocols in this study were approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee (HADYEK, Protocol 827/2021).

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İlhan, A.O., Can, B., Kar, F. et al. An Investigation into the Protective Effects of Various Doses of Boric Acid on Liver, Kidney, and Brain Tissue Damage Caused by High Levels of Acute Alcohol Consumption. Biol Trace Elem Res 201, 5346–5357 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-023-03699-9

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