Investigation of the effect of trans-3 hydroxycinnamic acid against liver damage induced-methotrexate in rats

Methotrexate (MTX) is usually used as a chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of various types of cancer and some inflammatory diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the possible beneficial effects of trans-3 hydroxycinnamic acid (HC) as an antioxidant compound aganist oxidative liver damage induced by MTX. In our study, we used 24 Wistar albino rats each weighing 200-220 g. The treatment was not applied in control group. Only a single dose of 20 mg/kg of MTX was administered intraperitoneally to MTX group rats and sacrificed 5 days later. In HC group, we administered intraperitoneally 100 mg/kg of HC for 5 days. Intraperitoneally a single dose 20 mg/kg of MTX was given to MTX+HC rats on the first day of the experiment. Later, it was used 100 mg/kg dose of HC following 1 h after the MTX and HC was continued to be given for 5 days. Rats were sacrificed on the last day and the liver tissue was removed. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were evaluated in tissue samples. MDA levels increased in the MTX group according to the biochemical results. but these levels decreased significantly in group treated with HC. Also, SOD activity decreased in group of MTX. However, this enzyme activity increased depending on HC treatment. On the other hand, GSH level were significantly reduced in group used of MTX compared to controls in the rat's liver tissue. These results show that HC have a protective role against oxidative liver damage induced-MTX.