ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of natural distomatosis infections on sheep liver malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration, activities of enzymatic antioxidants (glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (Cu, Zn-SOD), catalase (CAT)) and concentrations of non-enzymatic antioxidants (reduced glutathione (GSH), vitamin C, and β-carotene). Eighteen Akkaraman sheep naturally infected with Fasciola sp and Dicrocoelium dentriticum (D. dentriticum) and ten healthy Akkaraman sheep were included in the study Liver samples for the analysis of MDA, GPx, Cu, Zn-SOD, CAT, GSH, vitamin C, and β-carotene and blood samples for the measurement of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase were collected immediately after sheep in the two groups were slaughtered. The concentration of MDA and activity of GPx in the group with distomatosis were higher than in the control group (P<0.001). However, the Cu, Zn-SOD, CAT activities and the GSH, vitamin C concentrations in the infected group were significantly lower than in the control group (P<0.001). The serum β-carotene was not found to be statistically different in the two groups (P>0.05). ALT and AST serum activities of the group with distomatosis were significantly higher in comparison to the control group (P<0.001). In this study it was demonstrated that lipid peroxidation increased and activities or/and concentrations of antioxidant compounds were significantly changed in the liver of sheep with distomatosis.