Hepatoprotective activity of chitosan against isoniazid and rifampicin-induced toxicity in experimental rats.

Tuberculosis is a dangerous disease and its death toll is increasing year by year. Intake of isoniazid and rifampicin, the most common antitubercular drugs, lead to fatal hepatotoxic condition. We have studied the protective effect of chitosan supplementation against the hepatotoxicity induced by antitubercular drugs with respect to the changes in the levels of protein, albumin-globulin ratio, urea and bilirubin in the serum and diagnostic marker enzymes (alanine amino transferase, aspartate amino transferase, acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase), protein, glycoprotein conjugates (hexose, hexosamine and sialic acid), lipid peroxidation and reduced glutathione in the liver tissue of normal and experimental groups of rats. Co-administration of chitosan was found to significantly prevent the antitubercular drugs-induced alterations in the levels of diagnostic marker enzymes, bilirubin and albumin/globulin ratio in experimental groups of rats. Isoniazid and rifampicin-induced lipid peroxidation was also found to be prevented by the administration of chitosan. Further, chitosan administration increased the levels of urea and protein (in serum and liver) in experimental groups compared to hepatotoxicity-induced group of rats. Levels of glycoconjugates were also maintained to near normal level by chitosan co-administration. From the results obtained, it can be concluded that chitosan is beneficial against antitubercualr drugs-induced hepatoxicity.