Glyphosate is widely used herbicide throughout the world that is posing a major threat to human and animal life. The clinical outcomes of ingesting the herbicide include hepatotoxicity. Vitamin C is a known antioxidant compound that prevents free radical induced cellular damage by terminating the chain reactions. The aim of the current study was to assess the protective role of vitamin C (250 mg/kg BW) against glyphosate induced hepatotoxicity at a dose of 500 mg/kg BW (1/10 LD₅₀) in male albino Wistar rats. The animals were treated orally, daily for three weeks. The serum biochemical assays (aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase and total protein), tissue oxidative stress parameters, histopathology and ultrastructure pathology of liver were studied. Oxidative stress in liver tissue was monitored by determining the levels of malondialdehyde content, reduced glutathione and superoxide dismutase. Histopathology and ultrastructure pathology of liver sections were studied. There were significant alterations in the above parameters in glyphosate treated rats. However, administration of vitamin C caused a mild to moderate ameliorative effect on the parameters investigated.

To Cite This Article: Namratha ML, M Lakshman, M Jeevanalatha and Kumar BA, 2021. Assessment of vitamin c protective activity in glyphosate-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Pak Vet J, 41(3): 439-445. http://dx.doi.org/10.29261/pakvetj/2021.021