Effect of Honey on Altered Thyroid State in Female Wistar Rats

Анотація

Health promoting and healing potentials of honey have been widely reported. This study was designed to assess the effect of honey on altered thyroid states. Tri-iodothyronine (T3), Thyroxine (T4), Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) levels were estimated. Antioxidant status was determined by measuring the activities of Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) and Malondialdehyde (MDA). Lipid profile was assessed by measuring the serum levels of Cholesterol (CHOL), Triglyceride (TG), Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) and High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) in hypothyroid and hyperthyroid female Wistar strain albino rats. The results obtained show that hyperthyroidism caused significant reduction in body weight while treatment with honey completely reversed this effect. In hypothyroid rats, body weight was further increased on treatment with honey. However, there was no significant effect of honey on the levels of T3, T4 and TSH in both hypothyroid and hyperthyroid groups compared with control although the hypothyroid animals treated with honey showed significant reduction in the levels of CHOL, TG, LDL, SOD and MDA compared with hypothyroid untreated. Hyperthyroid rats which received honey exhibited significant increases in the levels of CHOL, TG and LDL compared with control. These findings show that although lipid profile and anti-oxidant status were improved in hypothyroid animals treated with honey, the levels of the thyroid hormones were not reversed in the altered thyroid states. This may be attributed to the presence in honey of phenolic compounds which could enhance free radical scavenging activity and reduce lipid peroxidation.