Investigation of the Effects of Chrysin Against Azithromycin-Induced Heart Damage in Rats

Azithromycin (AZM) is macrolide antibiotic used to treat infections of the upper and lower respiratory tract. In addition to its therapeutic effects, it has adverse effects such as cardiac and oxidative damage. Chrysin (CHR), which is found in propolis and various plants, is a natural flavonoid known for its antioxidant properties. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of CHR against cardiac damage caused by AZM, a broad-spectrum antibiotic. For this purpose, twenty-eight female rats were divided into four groups: Control, CHR, AZM, AZM+CHR. AZM (200 mg/kg) and CHR (50 mg/kg) were administered orally once daily for seven days. Cardiac markers and oxidative stress parameters were analyzed to determine heart tissue damage. Histopathological analyses were performed to detect tissue damage and structural changes. According to the data obtained from these analyses, AZM increased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase-myocardial band (CK-MB) activities and cardiac troponin-I (cTn-I) levels in the heart tissue. AZM toxication significantly increased malondialdehyde (MDA) levels while reducing the activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT) activities and glutathione (GSH) levels. AZM+CHR treatment decreased cardiac tissue cardiac markers (LDH, CK-MB, and cTn-I). In addition, CHR treatment together with AZM decreased MDA levels and increased GSH levels and GPx, SOD, and CAT activities. When the findings were evaluated together, it was determined that AZM caused heart damage by increasing cardiac markers and oxidative stress, while CHR supplementation reduced the damage by bringing these parameters closer to normal.