Pharmacological effect of carvacrol on d-galactosamine-induced mitochondrial enzymes and DNA damage by single-cell gel electrophoresis

The present study aimed at investigating the effect of carvacrol on hepatic mitochondrial enzyme activities and DNA damage in d-galactosamine (d-GalN)-induced hepatotoxicity in male albino Wistar rats. The activities of hepatic mitochondrial enzymes such as isocitrate dehydrogenase, alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, succinate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase, NADPH dehydrogenase and cytochrome c oxidase significantly decreased in d-GalN-hepatotoxic rats, and administration of carvacrol brought these parameters towards normality. In d-GalN-hepatotoxic rats, the hepatic mitochondrial concentration of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances significantly increased, and administration of carvacrol significantly reduced them towards normality. Furthermore, the activities of enzymatic antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase and the levels of non-enzymatic antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E and reduced glutathione decreased significantly in the liver mitochondria. Administration of carvacrol returned the enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants towards normality. d-GalN-hepatotoxic rats had increased DNA damage, which administration of carvacrol significantly decreased. These results suggest that carvacrol has liver mitochondrial antioxidant properties and possesses a defensive effect against mitochondrial enzymes and DNA damage in d-GalN-induced rats.