Protective Effect of Ghrelin against the Oxidative Brain and Kidney Injuries Induced by Carbon Tetrachloride in Rats

The present study was conducted to investigate the protective effect of ghrelin pre-treatment on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)- induced oxidative stress in the brain and kidney tissues of rats. Fourty male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four equal groups, as; control, CCl4, ghrelin and CCl4+ ghrelin group. The rats were sacrificed 24 h after the last injection and their brain and kidneys were removed. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide levels (NO), and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) enzymes were measured in brain and kidney homogenates of rats. Significantly elevated (p 0.05) mean levels of MDA and NO, and lowered (p 0.05) mean activities of SOD and CAT were observed in the brain and kidney tissues of rats treated with CCl4 only, when compared to control group. No significant change in GPx activity was observed in the brain and kidney after the CCl4 administration. On the other hand, ghrelin pre-treatment prior to the CCl4 administration reduced (p 0.05) the MDA and NO levels, and increased (p 0.05) the SOD and CAT activities in these tissues as compared to those in the CCl4-treated group. In conclusion, our findings suggest that ghrelin pre-treatment would be able to alleviate the oxidative damage caused by the CCl4 in the brain and kidney tissues of rats.