Protective effects of deferoxamine on lead-induced cardiotoxicity in rats

Because of the numerous industrial applications of lead (Pb), Pb poisoning is an important public health threat in the world particularly in developing and industrialized countries. Oxidative stress is one of the important mechanisms of Pb-mediated toxicity. Deferoxamine (DFO) is an iron chelating agent that has recently shown antioxidant and antiapoptotic effects. This study investigated the protective capacity of DFO against Pb-induced cardiotoxicity in rats. We used five groups in this study: control, DFO (300 mg/kg), Pb (50 mg/kg), DFO (150 mg/kg) + Pb, DFO (300 mg/kg) + Pb. DFO was administered intraperitoneally 30 min before intraperitoneal injection of Pb for 5 days. After drug treatment, the levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), lipid peroxidation (LPO), glutathione (GSH), and antioxidant enzymes were measured in serum and heart samples. The results showed that pretreatment with DFO reduced Pb-induced oxidative stress markers in serum and cardiac tissues. We found that LDH and LPO levels were significantly increased in Pb-treated rats and decreased with DFO pre-administration. Furthermore, the decreased activities of total antioxidant capacity, and GSH were observed after Pb treatment. However, DFO administration effectively prevented the Pb-induced alterations of these antioxidant enzymes activities. In conclusion, the results presented here indicate that DFO has protective effects in Pb-induced cardiotoxicity in rats, probably due to its antioxidant action and inhibition of oxidative stress.