Ginkgetin alleviates polystyrene microplastics-instigated liver injury in rats through Nrf-2/Keap-1 pathway activation

Polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) are potential environmental toxicants that are reported to instigate oxidative stress (OS) in the liver. Ginkgetin (GK) is a natural biflavonoid with potential therapeutic activities. This experiment was executed to access the putative effect of GK against PS-MPs provoked hepatotoxicity. Four groups were formed from 48 rats including control, PS-MPs (0.01 mg/kg) group, PS-MPs (0.01 mg/kg) + GK (25 mg/kg) co-treated group and GK (25 mg/kg) alone group. The exposure of PS-MPs markedly decreased the expressions of antioxidant genes and Nrf-2, besides escalating Keap-1 expression. It also decreased the activities of antioxidants i.e., glutathione (GSH), glutathione S-transferase (GST), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GSR), while increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents. Additionally, a notable escalation in hepatic serum markers i.e., alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) level was observed. Furthermore, PS-MPs exposure escalated the levels of inflammatory markers, i.e., tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin- 6 (IL-6), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB), interleukin-β (IL-1β) level and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) activity. PS-MPs treatment augmented Caspase-3 and Bax expressions and decreased Bcl-2 expression. Nevertheless, GK treatment notably abated PS-MPs prompted liver injuries owing to its hepatoprotective efficacy.