deltamethrin-induced hepatotoxicity and virgin olive oil consumption: an experimental study

background: deltamethrin (dm) is a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide which can lead to pathological effects in mammals through oxidative stress. on the other hand, virgin olive oil (voo) is a rich source of phenolic compounds with antioxidants. the aim of the present study was to determine the protective effects of voo against dm-induced hepatotoxicity. methods: thirty-six mice were randomly separated into 4 groups: vehicle group, voo group, dm group, and dm plus voo group. immunohistochemistry of parp, cox-2, and caspase-3 with the biochemical analysis of malondialdehyde and total antioxidant capacity levels were performed in the liver samples 5 weeks after gavaging. statistical analysis was performed using spss, version 15. the data were compared between the groups using the tukey multiple comparison tests and the analysis of the variance. a p value <0.05 was considered significant. results: the malondialdehyde level in the liver was increased in the dm group (71.18±0.01), whereas it was significantly (p=0.001) decreased after voo administration in the dm plus voo group (39.59±2.43). while the total antioxidant capacity level in the liver was decreased in the dm group (3.05±0.05), it was significantly increased (p=0.03) after voo administration in the dm plus voo group (3.95±0.04). a greater expression of caspase-3 (p=0.008), cox-2 (p =0.004), and parp (p 0.006) could be detected in the dm group, while it was significantly (p=0.009) attenuated in the dm plus voo group. also, the degeneration of hepatocytes, which was detected in the dm group, was attenuated after voo consumption. conclusions: voo exerted protective effects against dm-induced hepatotoxicity, which might be associated with its anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidative properties.