TURKISH JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2021 , Vol 36 , Num 1
Thymol May be an Effective Agent in the Treatment of Liver and Kidney Damages Caused by Ionizing Radiation
Hilal KIZILTUNÇ ÖZMEN1,Fazile Nur EKİNCİ AKDEMİR1,Ayhan TANYELİ1,Serkan YILDIRIM1,Yasin BAYIR1,Yılmaz ŞAHİN1,Gizem ESER1,Ayşenur KAHRAMANLAR1
1Department of Radiation Oncology, Atatürk University Faculty of Medicine, Erzurum-Turkey
2Atatürk University Faculty of Medicine, Anethesiology Clinical Research Office, Erzurum-Turkey
3Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Ağrı İbrahim Cecen University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Agrı-Turkey
4Department of Physiology, Atatürk University Faculty of Medicine, Erzurum-Turkey
5Department of Pathology, Atatürk University Faculty of Veterinary, Erzurum-Turkey
6Department of Biochemistry, Atatürk University Faculty of Pharmacy, Erzurum-Turkey
7Department of Physics, Atatürk University Faculty of Science, Erzurum-Turkey
DOI : 10.5505/tjo.2020.2556 OBJECTIVE
The goal of the present study was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of thymol in diminishing the damages to the liver and kidney tissues caused by the application of ionizing radiation.

METHODS
The experimental rats were randomized and grouped as follows: Group I (control), Group II (receiving ionizing radiation), and Group III (receiving thymol + ionizing radiation). Pathological tissue damage was assessed by immunohistochemical and biochemical analyses using chemical methods.

RESULTS
The level of plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) in both the tissues were significantly elevated in Group II compared to that in Group I (p<0.001 for both the tissues), but they were significantly lower in Group III than in Group II (p<0.01 for both the tissues). In addition, the plasma MDA level in both the tissues was increased in Group III than in Group I (p<0.05 for both the tissues). The level of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH) in the liver and kidney tissues were significant decreased in Group II than in Group I (p<0.001 for both the tissues and for both the parameters), while these parameters were increased in Group III relative to those in Group II (p<0.05 for both the tissues and for both the parameters). Moreover, the plasma SOD and GSH levels in both the tissues were decreased in Group III than in Group I (p<0.05 for both the tissues and for both the parameters). All these findings were supported by the pathological images of caspase-3 and 8-OHdG tests conducted in the study.

CONCLUSION
Our results demonstrated that the treatment of thymol in the rat models is useful in diminishing the liver and kidney damages caused by the application of ionizing radiation. Keywords : Caspase-3; ionizing radiation; livers; kidneys; thymol; 8-OHdG