Determination of blood indices of albino rats treated with aluminum chloride and investigation of antioxidant effects of vitamin E and C

Abstract

The current study aims to investigate hematological and biochemical blood indices of albino rats administrated aluminum chloride (AlCl3) for eight weeks, and to study the therapeutic effects of vitamin E and C. AlCl₃ decreased the total red blood cell count (by 18%), hemoglobin (7%) and hematocrit (20%), and increased white blood cell count (67%), lymphocytes (29%), mean corpuscular volume (14%), mean corpuscular hemaglobin (6%) and platelets (33%). Administration of vitamin E with or without vitamin C failed to restore levels of red blood cell counts, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemaglobin or platelets, but vitamin E on its own restored levels of white blood cells, hemaglobin and lymphocytes.
AlCl₃ decreased serum glucose levels by 30%, and increased triglyceride (28%) and cholesterol (20%) levels; neither vitamin treatments restored the levels of these components. AlCl₃ increased levels of urea (12%), uric acid (77%) and creatinine (25%) compared to the controls, and vitamin E separately or together with vitamin C restored the levels of these nitrogen compounds.
The activities of alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and aspartate aminotransferase were also increased by the AlCl₃ treatment; the first two but not aspartate aminotransferase were restored by vitamin E separately or together with vitamin C.
We conclude that vitamin E separately or together with vitamin C suppressed cytogenetic injury and damage to some biochemical pathways of rat organs induced by AlCl₃.

Keywords: albino rats, aluminum chloride, blood indices, rat organs, vitamin E, vitamin C.