Dispersion analysis of the effect of nettle extract on some biochemical and hematological parameters in stress-induced rats

Abstract

Background. The effects of 40% ethanolic nettle extract (the first factor) and adrenaline-induced stress (the second factor) were evaluated, both individually and in combination, on some biochemical and hematological parameters in rats using a two-factor analysis of variance. Materials and Methods. In experiments, we used 4 groups of rats. Animals of groups UD-nettle and UD+A received 40% ethanolic extract of nettle (Urtica dioica L.) in a dose of 5 mL/kg of body weight for 4 weeks. Rats of the groups (C-control) and (A-stress) received an appropriate amount of 40% ethanol. On the 29th day of the experiment, the stress was simulated in the animals of groups A and UD + A by an intramuscular injection of 0.1% adrenaline hydrochloride in the dose of 1 mg/kg of the body weight. The rats of the C and UD-nettle groups were injected with the appropriate amount of physiological solution. The animals were decapitated under anesthesia 24 hours after injections. Some hematological and biochemical parameters of the blood, liver, heart, and kidney of rats were studied. All experimental data were processed by ANOVA analysis. Results. Adrenaline stress has the most intense effect on the elevation of aspartate aminotransferase activity in blood, a decrease of superoxide dismutase activity in erythrocytes and concentration of reduced glutathione in the liver and heart, and increased levels of free radical reaction products in all studied organs of rats. The ANOVA analysis showed that nettle extract in the body of non-stressed animals has the most intense effect on reducing the content of lipid hydroperoxide in the liver and carbonyl groups of protein in the heart, and activates the glutathione chain of the antioxidant system in all organs. Administration of nettle extract to rats before stress induction inhibits lipid peroxidation in the kidneys and heart, decreases the concentration of carbonyl groups of protein in blood and liver, reduced glutathione concentration and the activity of glutathione peroxidase in erythrocytes. Our results indicate that the heart is more resistant to stress in terms of free radical formation, but is sensitive to the effect of nettle extract before stress induction in rats which is manifested by the increase in the activity of the enzymatic and non-enzymatic chain of the antioxidant system. All studied factors significantly affected the TBA-active products in the kidneys accompanied by increasing their concentration. The unaccounted factors affect the accumulation of lipid peroxidation products and catalase activity by more than 50%, while they have the least effect on the content of reduced glutathione in all rat tissues. Conclusion. The dispersion analysis confirmed the tissue specificity of the investigated factors’ individual influence and their combined effect on some biochemical and hematological parameters in the rats, as well as the protective and antioxidant properties of nettle extract.