Action of vanillin-spiked zinc ferrite nanoparticles against cadmium-induced liver damage: Computational insights with AKT 1, BCl-2 and TLR 8 proteins

The oxidative stress and consequent injury elicited in the hepatic tissue by Cadmium (Cd) are well documented. On the other hand, vanillin has shown promise as a pharmacological agent, while the Zinc ferrite could be used as a nano-drug carrier. This study investigates the action of vanillin-spiked Zinc ferrite nanoparticles (VMN) on biochemical markers and histopathology of the hepatic tissue in rats exposed to Cd. VMN was green synthesized and characterized using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, and scanning electron microscope. Animals were treated with Cd (1 mg/kg body weight, i. p.) alone or co-treated with VMN (100 and 200 mg/kg body weight, p. o.) for five consecutive days. The data obtained showed that Cd significantly depleted the levels of globulin, albumin, albumin/globulin ratio, superoxide dismutase, glutathione, glutathione S-transferase, and increased the concentrations of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, creatinine, glutathione peroxidase, and lipid peroxidation. Treatment with VMN, especially at the 200 mg/kg dose, abated these aberrations in the plasma and liver biochemical indices in the rats exposed to Cd. Vanillin was subsequently docked against the receptors of Toll-like receptor 8 (TLR 8), AKT serine/threonine kinase 1 (AKT 1) and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) to further glean molecular and mechanistic insights on its hepatoprotective po-tential. The interactions between vanillin and these receptors yielded binding free energy scores of-6.5 kcal/ mol (TLR 8),-6.1 kcal/mol (AKT 1), and-5.1 kcal/mol (BCl-2). Studies also revealed that vanillin interacted with these proteins via specific amino acid residues (SER230, ASP252, ILE 290, PRO463 and PHE 467) at their catalytic sites. Furthermore, treatment of animals with Cd revealed centrilobular, periportal, and necrotic anomalies in the liver of rats, which were ameliorated by VMN. Overall, this study highlights the hep-atoprotective potential of VMN and provides a basis for further mechanistic studies.

Automated summary

This study investigates the action of vanillin-spiked Zinc ferrite nanoparticles (VMN) on biochemical markers and histopathology of the hepatic tissue in rats exposed to Cadmium (Cd). It shows that VMN can alleviate Cd-induced liver injury and interact with specific proteins such as Toll-like receptor 8, AKT serine/threonine kinase 1, and B-cell lymphoma 2. This study highlights the hepatoprotective potential of VMN and provides a basis for further mechanistic studies.