Impact of melamine exposure on apoptotic proteins and oxidative stress markers in mouse hepatic tissue

OpenAlex İngilizce

Most melamine studies have focused on renal toxicity and its effects on the liver are still not well known. We investigated the apoptotic and oxidative effects of melamine on the liver using thirty BALB/c mice, divided into three groups. The control group received saline, while the low-dose melamine (LDM) group was given 400 mg/kg (1/8 LD50) and the high-dose melamine (HDM) group received 1600 mg/kg (1/2 LD50) intragastrically (0.25 ml) for 5 consecutive days. Liver Bcl-2 and caspase-3 expressions were analyzed at the protein level by immunohistochemistry and ELISA, and also at the gene level by quantitative Real-Time PCR. In addition, total antioxidant (TAS), total oxidant (TOS), and oxidative stress index (OSI) levels in liver tissues were measured spectrophotometrically. The immunohistochemical expression of caspase-3 was higher in the LDM and HDM groups compared to the control group (p = 0.002). TOS and OSI levels were increased significantly (P