Protection of Doxorubicin-Induced Biochemical Injury in the Rat Bone Marrow by a Dietary Bioflavonoid Naringin

Doxorubicin is a secondary metabolite isolated, from Streptomyces peucetius and has been used as a standard chemotherapeutic agent alone or in conjunction with other chemotherapeutic drugs to treat different types of malignancies. The use of doxorubicin associated with adverse toxic side effect on bone marrow heart, kidneys and liver in patients receiving its therapy Therefore, any agent that can reduce the toxicity of doxorubicin will be useful in clinical conditions. Naringin a dietary flavonoid synthesized by different citrus fruits has been investigated for its protective effect against the doxorubicin-induced biochemical stress in albino rat bone marrow administered with 2 mg/kg body weight of naringin or 5 mg/kg body weight of doxorubicin either alone or in combination with each other. The bone marrow was aspirated at ½, 1 and 2 h post-doxorubicin treatment and activities of glutathione-s-transferase, catalase and superoxide dismutase, and glutathione concentration and lipid peroxidation were measured. Administration of doxorubicin alone caused a time dependent but significant reduction in the activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase and glutathione concentration followed by increased lipid peroxidation at ½, 1 and 2 h post-doxorubicin treatment. The treatment of rats with naringin before doxorubicin administration significantly raised the activities of catalase and glutathione concentration followed by reduction in the lipid peroxidation in the rat bone marrow. Our study shows that naringin attenuated the doxorubicin-induced biochemical stress and may be a useful agent in reducing the toxicity of doxorubicin in patients.