Synergistic Protection of Vitamin B Complex and Alpha-Lipoic Acid Against Hepatic Ischemia–Reperfusion Injury: Boosting Antioxidant Defenses in Rats

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of vitamin B complex and alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) pre-treatments on hepatic ischemia–reperfusion injury (IRI) in rats, focusing on their potential to enhance antioxidant defense mechanisms and reduce post-ischemic liver damage. Thirty male Wistar albino rats were divided into four groups: sham group (n = 10), IRI group (n = 10), vitamin B group (n = 10), vitamin B + ALA group (n = 10). In the IRI, vitamin B, and vitamin B + ALA groups, the rats underwent 45 min of hepatic ischemia followed by 60 min of reperfusion. Serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), urea, creatinine, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were measured. Additionally, serum total antioxidant status (TAS) and total oxidant status (TOS) were assessed, and the oxidative stress index (OSI) was calculated. Liver tissue samples were collected for morphological evaluation. In the vitamin B and vitamin B + ALA groups, ALT, AST, urea, creatinine and LDH levels were better compared with the IRI group but the difference was statistically significant for only LDH levels in the vitamin B group and ALT, urea, and LDH levels in the vitamin B + ALA group (p p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that a vitamin B complex alone or a vitamin B complex + ALA combination reduces post-ischemic hepatic injury by enhancing the anti-oxidative status. The low dose of ALA may be a co-factor in these results and studies with larger doses of ALA are required to determine its effects on IRI of the liver.

Keywords

• liver
• ischemia–reperfusion injury
• alpha-lipoic acid
• vitamin B complex
• oxidative stress