Paper Title
Melatonin Ameliorates ALLYL Alcohol Induced Hepatotoxicity

Abstract
Toxic industrial chemicals such as Allyl alcohol (AA) cause liver injury which may lead to severe complications and liver failure. Therefore, it is essential that naturally occurring hepatoprotective agents are studied for identifying their hepatoprotective mechanisms. Melatonin (5 – methoxy- N- acetyl tryptamine) is a naturally occurring antioxidant and strong anti inflammatory agent. The present study investigates the mechanism and potential benefits of Melatonin (Mel) as a hepato protective agent against Allyl alcohol induced hepatotoxicity in mice. Different groups (6 animals each) of male Swiss Balb Mice weighing 25 - 30 g were used in the study. A dose of 1.5 mmol/Kg of AA was used for studying the hepatotoxicity. Melatonin (2.5, 5.0 and 10.0 mg/Kg was administered 30 minutes before the administration of AA. The animals were killed 4 h after AA administration. Levels of Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) in the serum, and lipid Peroxides (LP), Glutathione (GSH), Glutathione peroxidase (GPX), Catalase (Cat), and Superoxide dismutase (SOD) were determined in the liver tissue. Melatonin significantly ameliorated the AA induced increase in the serum ALT levels and the total lipid peroxide levels in the liver of AA treated mice (P < 0.001). Melatonin also significantly inhibited the AA induced depletion of the GSH (P < 0.001), GPX (P<0.05)and SOD (P < 0.001) levels. While a slight decrease in liver catalase activity upon exposure to AA was reverted back to near normal values by treatment with melatonin. The results of this study suggest that melatonin protects against AA induced hepatotoxicity through its antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity.