Mitigating Effect of Honey on Caffeine Induced Oxidative Stress in Male Albino Rats

Aim: The study was aimed at determining the mitigating effect of honey on oxidative stress induced by caffeine using oxidative stress markers such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, Glutathione and malondialdehyde, in male albino rats.

Study Design: A completely randomized design (CRD) was used in this study.

Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted in the Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, University of Calabar and lasted for 65 days.

Methodology: Thirty healthy male albino rats of 12 weeks old were randomly divided into five groups of six rats each. The experimental animals were treated with combinations of caffeine and honey using oral gavage. Group 1 served as the control and was given only water and feed; Group 2 were treated with 10 ml/kgBW of honey (honey group); Group 3 were treated with 200 mg/kgBW of caffeine (caffeine group); Group 4 were treated with 200 mg/kgBW of caffeine and 10 ml/kgBW of honey (C + H1 group) while Group 5 were treated with 20 ml/kgBW of honey and 200 mg/kgBW of caffeine (C + H2).

Results: Results indicated a significant (p<0.05) decrease in serum levels of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione observed in caffeine treated rats in comparison with the control. Also, a significant increase in the serum concentration of malondialdehyde in caffeine treated rats was observed. Effectively, honey mitigated caffeine induced effect on the oxidative stress markers in albino rat models and the effect was dose dependent.

Conclusion: The findings of this study provide evidence that honey has the potential to mitigate the effect of caffeine on oxidative stress markers in male albino rat models in a dose dependent manner.