Avicenna Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Background: The hepatotoxicity of paraquat (PQ) is well known. Given geraniol’s antioxidant activity, the present study compared the therapeutic effectiveness of geraniol and nanogeraniol (NG) against PQ-induced hepatotoxicity in male rats.

Methods: Thirty male Wistar rats were assigned to six separate groups. Hepatotoxicity was induced with PQ (5 mg/kg/day, p.o.), and two treatment groups received the same concentration of geraniol and NG (100 mg/kg/day, p.o.) for seven days. The emulsification-solvent evaporation method was applied to prepare NG. At the end of the treatment period, the animals were deeply anesthetized, and the serum and liver tissue samples were separated. Moreover, liver function enzymes, such as alanine and aspartate aminotransferase (ALT and AST), were assessed in the serum samples. Finally, oxidative stress (OS) biomarkers and histopathological studies were evaluated in the liver tissue samples.

Results: The results revealed that PQ administration could significantly increase the serum levels of ALT and AST. Additionally, PQ increased lipid peroxidation while decreasing the levels of the antioxidant system, indicating the induction of OS.

Conclusion: However, treatment with NG was potentially superior to free geraniol in returning the mentioned ratio to normal levels, and histopathological examination correlated well with these findings. Thus, NG, due to its antioxidant activity, can be used as a new and efficient therapeutic approach in treating hepatotoxicity caused by PQ compared to the free geraniol.