Antioxidative Effects of Nano-curcumin on Liver Mi‌tochondria Function in Paraquat-induced Oxidative Stress

 Background: Paraquat (PQ), as the most widely used herbicide in agriculture, induces poisoning in humans and animals mainly through oxidative stress. This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of nano-curcumin compared with curcumin against PQ-induced mitochondrial dysfunction. Materials and Methods: Thirty-six Wistar rats were used in this study. They were separated into 6 groups: control subjects and animals poisoned with PQ that received treatment with or without curcumin and nano-curcumin for 7 days. Liver mitochondria were isolated, and oxidative stress markers, including Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC), Lipid Peroxidation (LPO), Catalase (CAT) and Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) activity, as well as viability and mitochondrial membrane potential, were assessed. Results: Poisoning by PQ significantly increased the LPO levels and considerably decreased the TAC, CAT, and SOD activity compared with the control subjects (P<0.05). PQ-induced oxidative significantly damaged the viability and membrane potential of mitochondrial compared with controls (P<0.05). Administration of nano-curcumin significantly increased the SOD activity, as well as viability and mitochondrial membrane potential in the PQ group (P<0.05). Besides, treatment by nano-curcumin in the PQ group significantly improved the lipid peroxidation process (P<0.05). Conclusion: Nanocurcumin is more effective than curcumin in reducing the PQ-induced oxidative damage.