Therapeutic potential of morin hydrate in methotrexate-induced liver in experimental rats: regulation of organ function and alleviation of oxidative stress

Purpose: Methotrexate (MTX) is an antineoplastic agent with a wide clinical use. However, its complications in tissues cause limitations. The effects of many compounds have been studied in reducing the toxicity of MTX in liver tissue. There are limited studies on the elimination of this damage with morin hydrate (MH) flavonoid. In this study, we investigated the effect of MH in MTX-induced hepatoxicity with a focus on oxidative stress. Materials and Methods: In the experiment, 32 female rats were grouped as Control, MTX, MH, MTX+MH (n=8). On the first day of the study, MTX 20 mg/kg single dose was administered ip. MH was administered 100 mg/kg by gavage for 10 days. On the 11th day, biochemical and histopathological analyses were performed on liver tissues from rats. All data were presented with statistical comparison. Results: Serum AST, ALT and LDH levels were highest in the MTX group and lower in the MTX+MH group. MH increased glutathione peroxidase (GPX), reduced glutathione (GSH) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels, but had no regulatory effect on superoxide dismutase (SOD) level. Additionally, MH significantly lowered malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and reduced total oxidant capacity (TOC). Histopathological findings included inflammation, congestion, degeneration, mononuclear cell clusters and dead cells. Tissue damage was most severe in the MTX group, whereas these effects were attenuated in the MTX+MH group. Conclusion: Our results indicated that MH may be a potential therapeutic agent in MTX-induced acute liver injury.