Caffeine and Aspirin Protecting Albino Rats Against Biochemical and Histological Disorders Induced by Whole Body Gamma Irradiation

Caffeine is an alkaloid (purine derivative) that contains flavonoids ,where as aspirin, natural component of mammalian tissue (acetylsalicylic acid) is one of the most commonly used non steroidal anti-inflammatory, and it is a necessary factor in the utilization of long-chain fatty acids to produce energy. Furthermore, it has been shown to protect cells from peroxidative stress. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the efficacy of caffeine(1,3,7-trimethyl xanthine) 80 mg/kg b.wt. and aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) in the amelioration of the physiological and histological changes in stomach and intestine of rats exposed to gamma irradiation . Male albino rats were divided into 8 groups. 1Control group: rats not subject to any treatment, 2Caffeine group: rats received caffeine(80ml/Kg body weight)via intraperitoneal injection for 21 days, 3Aspirin group: rats received aspirin(150 mg / kg body) via intraperitoneal injection for 21 days, 4Caffeine + Aspirin group: rats received caffeine and aspirin treatment, 5Radiation groups: rats were whole body gamma irradiated at 8Gy, 6Caffeine + Radiation group: rats received caffeine for 21 days before whole body gamma irradiation at 8 Gy, 7Aspirin + Radiation group: rats received aspirin during 21 days before whole body gamma irradiation, 8Caffeine + Aspirin + Radiation group: rats received caffeine parallel to aspirin for 21 days before whole body gamma irradiation. Animals were sacrificed 24 hrs post irradiation. The results demonstrated that rats exposed to whole body gamma irradiation showed a significant increase inalanine amino transferase (ALT), aspartate amino transferase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities, and a significant decrease in total protein indicating liver injury. A significant increase in urea, creatinine, Na +, and K +were recorded indicating kidney damage. Alteration of liver and kidney functions was accompanied by a significant increase in the content of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) associated with a significant decrease in glutathione (GSH) content , superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) activities indicating oxidative stress. In addition, radiation caused inflammatory, fibrotic and cellular damage to the intestine and stomach. Administration of caffeine and aspirin resulted in significant improvement in hepatic and renal functions associated with reduction in oxidative stress and amelioration of the histological changes caused by gamma irradiation. It could be concluded that the antioxidant properties of caffeine and aspirin might modulate γradiation–induced oxidative stress and histological disorders.