Journal of Environmental Biology

Hepatoprotective effects of  taurine against mercury induced toxicity in rats

G. Jagadeesan* and S. Sankarsami Pillai

*jaga_zoo@yahoo.co.in

toxicological division, department of zoology, annamalai university, annamalai nagar-608 002, India

(Received: September 26, 2005 ; Revised received: March 05, 2006 ; Accepted: April 28, 2006)

Abstract: An attempt has been made to study the influence of taurine on mercury intoxicated rats. The animals were treated with sublethal dose of mercuric chloride (2 mg/kg body wt.) for 30 days. During the mercury treatment, the level of Aspartate transaminase(AST), Alanine transaminase(ALT) and Alkaline phosphatase(ALP) in serum and lipid peroxidation(LPO) in liver tissue significantly increased whereas Glutathione (GSH),  Glutathione peroxidase(GPx), Catalase (CAT) and Superoxide dismutase (SOD) were simultaneously decreased in the liver tissue. Present results indicate that the liver tissue was completely damaged, after mercury treatment. In another group of animals, taurine (5 mg/kg body wt.) was administrated for another 15 days. Taurine administration was observed to improve the liver function in mercury intoxicated animal as indicated by the decline in increased levels of AST, ALT and ALP in serum and LPO content in liver tissue. The decreased level of antioxidant system (GSH, GPx, CAT and SOD) has been promoted. Results suggested that taurine played a vital role in reducing the mercury toxicity in intoxicated animals. 

Key words:   Mercury, Taurine, Rat,  Antioxidants, Toxicity

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