Concomitant Supplementation of Gossypin: a Bioflavonoid Protects Lead and Ethanol Induced Oxidative Stress in Rats

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the protective efficacy of gossypin coadministration during lead-ethanol co-exposure. In one of our earlier study we reported the protective efficacy of gossypin against lead induced oxidative stress and it was of interest to observe the efficacy in the situation of combined lead-ethanol exposure. Animals were exposed to lead as lead nitrate (2 mg/kg, i.p. once daily), ethanol (5%) was given in drinking water or the combination, while gossypin was administered orally dissolved in polyethyleneglycol (PEG). Oxidative stress variables were determined in blood, liver, kidney and brain. Gossypin administration was able to restore blood δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) activity and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels. Significant reduction in reactive oxygen species (ROS) in blood was also noted when gossypin was co-administered during lead-ethanol co-exposure. The levels of reduced and oxidized glutathione, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and ROS were also carried out in brain, liver and kidney and showed significant depletion on lead, ethanol or lead-ethanol co-exposure. Co-administration of gossypin significantly protected these changes suggesting protection against lead-ethanol and lead-ethanol induced oxidative stress. Thus, the present study suggests that gossypin protects lead induced oxidative stress irrespective of individual or combined lead-ethanol co-exposure.