Investigation of the Effect of Humic Acid on Experimental Copper Accumulation in the Liver in Rats

Objective There is a need for an affordable oral chelator to reduce the treatment cost in cases of chronic copper intoxication, such as hereditary Wilson's disease. Humic acid (HA) is a naturally occurring molecule found in water and soil, with a longchain and the ability to transfer electrons. It has the capability to eliminate toxic compounds from the body. This study was designed to test chelator effect of HA on copper as well as its anti-oxidant effect against the copper-induced hepatotoxicity, renal toxicity and brain toxicity Materials and Methods Forty female Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into four groups (n:10) as follows: Control group; HA group: 536 mg/kg/day HA (po for 14 days); Cu group: 75 mg/kg copper sulfate (po at 12-hour intervals for14 days); Cu + HA group: 75 mg/kg copper sulfate (po at 12-hour intervals for 14 days) and 536 mg/kg/day HA (po for 14 days). Blood and two tissue samples(liver, kidney and brain) were collected for biochemical and histopathological analyses. Results The copper-induced hepatotoxicity, renal toxicity and brain toxicity were demonstrated by histopathological and biochemical manner. Histopathological changes in the Cu + HA group were observed to continue similarly to the Cu group. Significant changes were observed in all oxidant and antioxidant parameters except liver MDA, GPx and TAS and kidney GSH and SOD between the copper group and the HA plus copper group (p < 0.05). Conclusion The protective effects of humic acid against copper-induced hepatotoxicity, renal toxicity and brain toxicity were shown in our study. However, further research is needed to corroborate the results of our study.