Boswellic acid synergizes with low-dose ionizing radiation to mitigate thioacetamide-induced hepatic encephalopathy in rats.

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a syndrome that arises from acute or chronic liver failure. This study was devised to assess the impact of a combination of boswellic acid (BA) and low doses of gamma radiation (LDR) on thioacetamide (TAA)-induced HE in an animal model. The effect of daily BA treatment (175 mg/kg body weight, for four weeks) and/or fractionated low-dose γ-radiation (LDR; 0.25 Gy, twice the total dose of 0.5 Gy) was evaluated against TAA (200 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) twice-weekly for four weeks to induce liver damage and HE in rats. TAA-exposed rats exhibited a significant elevation in serum activities of liver enzymes (GGT, ALP) and plasma ammonia levels at P < 0.05 (Duncan's test) compared to the control group. Moreover, there was an increase in the levels of proinflammatory cytokines (IL6, IL12, IL18) in the TAA-exposed animals accompanied by a depletion in the activities of paraoxonase-1 and neurotransmitter contents compared with normal control rats (P < 0.05). However, the administration of BA alone or in combination with LDR led to improvements in liver and brain parameter indices. Furthermore, the histopathological assessments of liver and brain tissues supported the findings of the biochemical investigations. From the statistical analysis, it can be concluded that the combined administration of BA and exposure to LDR may possess potential hepatoprotective effects against hepatic encephalopathy-associated hyperammonemia and the consequent damage to the liver and brain. This study proposes that a combination of therapeutic approaches, LDR and BA could be a new therapeutic candidate for the management of hepatic encephalopathy.