Protective effects of Pyrogallol and Caffeic acid against Fe2+ -Ascorbate-induced oxidative stress in the wistar rats liver: An in vitro study

Regarding the role of oxidative damage to various tissues in various diseases, using antioxidant compounds that protect tissues from damage is proposed as an important strategy against these diseases. Liver homogenates are frequently employed as in vitro models for investigating oxidative stress owing to the liver's high metabolic activity and susceptibility to oxidative damage. In this study, we assessed the protective effects of two phenolic compounds on Fe²⁺-ascorbate-induced oxidative stress in liver homogenates by analyzing various markers such as lipid peroxidation, protein carbonyl oxidation (PCO), reduced glutathione (GSH), and ROS levels. Catechin was used as a reference antioxidant to compare with the results. The DPPH radical scavenging activity of the compounds was also evaluated. Our findings demonstrated that co-incubation of liver homogenates with the Fe²⁺-ascorbate system and the compounds at various concentrations (10, 25, 50, and 100 μg/mL) led to a dose-dependent reduction in lipid peroxidation, PCO levels, ROS production, and GSH depletion. Furthermore, the IC₅₀ values for DPPH free radicals for pyrogallol and caffeic acid were determined to be 76.26 μg/mL and 106.31 μg/mL, respectively. Notably, pyrogallol and caffeic acid exhibited higher antioxidant activity in all assays than catechin. In most assays (DPPH, Lipid peroxidation, and PCO) and at high concentrations (50 and 100 μg/mL), the antioxidative stress activity of pyrogallol was higher than that of caffeic acid. In conclusion, this study's results suggest that these compounds can potentially ameliorate diseases associated with oxidative stress.