Anti-hepatopathy and anti-nephropathy activities of Taraxacum officinale in a rat model of Streptozotocin diabetes-induced hepatorenal toxicity and dyslipidemia via attenuation of oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, electrolyte imbalances, and mitochondrial dysfunction

Diabetes and chronic liver and kidney disease are common long-term conditions worldwide. Taraxacum officinale (TOE) has many medicinal properties, due to it phytochemicals constitutions. This study investigate activities of TOE in Streptozotocin diabetes-Induced Hepatorenal toxicity. Sixty rats were randomized into groups A, B, C, D, E, and F of ten rats each (n = 10). Group normal control, group B treated with TOE, group C diabetic (DM) negative control, group D DM rats treated with TOE, group E DM rats treated with metformin (MF)], group F treated with TOE follow by STZ-diabetic). Serum lipid profile, alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), total proteins (TP), albumin (ALB), Urea, and creatinine, electrolyte, oxidative and antioxidant enzymes, caspase 3, inflammatory cytokines, tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle enzymes and mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), liver and kidney histology were investigated.

Treatment with TOE ameliorated all the electrolyte disruptions in DM rats. Treatment with TOE and TOE + MF recovered caspase 3, inflammatory makers, oxidative and antioxidant enzymes in DM rats. Moreover, an increase in lipid profile, hepatic and renal functional markers, ALT, AST, ALP, GGT, TP, ALB, Urea, TCA and renal mitochondrial respiratory-chain complexes (I-IV) and ΔΨm and a decrease in creatinine clearance was recovered in DM rats by TOE and TOE + MF treatment. TOE and TOE + MF protected against hepatic and renal histological damage in DM group.

Hepatorenal toxicity was effectively ameliorated by the TOE administration. TOE might be considered as a potential protective agent against hepatorenal toxicity.