Impact of pre-treatment with melatonin on hematological alterations and splenic lipid peroxidation in phenylhydrazine-induced acute hemolytic anemia in Wistar rats
- 1Laboratory of Cardiovascular Physiology, Physiology Department, Institute of Basic Health Science, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), R. Ramiro Barcelos, 2600 - Santa Cecília, Porto Alegre, RS, 90035-003, Brazil
- 2Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Oral Pathology Laboratory of the Faculty of Dentistry, Porto Alegre, Brazil
Abstract
Introduction: Hemolytic anemias are characterized by the premature destruction of red blood cells, leading to redox imbalance in the organism. Under these conditions, organs such as the spleen may be particularly affected. Melatonin is known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and has emerged as a promising therapeutic candidate. Thus, the present study investigated the impact of melatonin pretreatment in male Wistar rats subjected to phenylhydrazine-induced acute hemolytic anemia.
Methods: Twenty-eight male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to four experimental groups: control, anemic and untreated, non-anemic treated with melatonin, and anemic treated with melatonin. Hematological analyses were performed using whole blood samples, while spleen tissue was used for biochemical assessments of oxidative stress and morphometric analyses.
Results: The results showed a negative correlation between thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and hemoglobin levels (r = −0.8406; p < 0.0001). Hemolysis also induced an antioxidant counterregulatory response, evidenced by increased thiol levels (p = 0.0005). Moreover, sulfhydryl levels were positively correlated with thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance levels (r = 0.8108; p < 0.0001). Nevertheless, melatonin did not restore hematological parameters in anemic animals and did not prevent the increase in splenic lipid peroxidation.
Conclusion: Splenic tissue exhibited an antioxidant response to oxidative damage induced by hemolysis, and lipid peroxidation was associated with the severity of anemia. However, under the conditions tested, melatonin was ineffective in attenuating oxidative stress or hematological alterations associated with acute hemolytic anemia.
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BibTeX
@article{oliveira2026impact,
title = {{Impact of pre-treatment with melatonin on hematological alterations and splenic lipid peroxidation in phenylhydrazine-induced acute hemolytic anemia in Wistar rats}},
author = {Vitória Rosa de Oliveira and Custódio José Gaspar and Silvio Tasca and Elissa Kerli Fernandes and Cristina Campos Carraro and Adriane Belló-Klein and Fernanda Visoli and Alexandre Luz de Castro and Alex Sander da Rosa Araujo},
journal = {Hematology, Transfusion and Cell Therapy},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.htct.2026.108546},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.htct.2026.108546},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Impact of pre-treatment with melatonin on hematological alterations and splenic lipid peroxidation in phenylhydrazine-induced acute hemolytic anemia in Wistar rats
AU - Vitória Rosa de Oliveira
AU - Custódio José Gaspar
AU - Silvio Tasca
AU - Elissa Kerli Fernandes
AU - Cristina Campos Carraro
AU - Adriane Belló-Klein
AU - Fernanda Visoli
AU - Alexandre Luz de Castro
AU - Alex Sander da Rosa Araujo
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/31
JO - Hematology, Transfusion and Cell Therapy
DO - 10.1016/j.htct.2026.108546
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.htct.2026.108546
AB - Introduction: Hemolytic anemias are characterized by the premature destruction of red blood cells, leading to redox imbalance in the organism. Under these conditions, organs such as the spleen may be particularly affected. Melatonin is known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and has emerged as a promising therapeutic candidate. Thus, the present study investigated the impact of melatonin pretreatment in male Wistar rats subjected to phenylhydrazine-induced acute hemolytic anemia. Methods: Twenty-eight male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to four experimental groups: control, anemic and untreated, non-anemic treated with melatonin, and anemic treated with melatonin. Hematological analyses were performed using whole blood samples, while spleen tissue was used for biochemical assessments of oxidative stress and morphometric analyses. Results: The results showed a negative correlation between thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and hemoglobin levels (r = −0.8406; p < 0.0001). Hemolysis also induced an antioxidant counterregulatory response, evidenced by increased thiol levels (p = 0.0005). Moreover, sulfhydryl levels were positively correlated with thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance levels (r = 0.8108; p < 0.0001). Nevertheless, melatonin did not restore hematological parameters in anemic animals and did not prevent the increase in splenic lipid peroxidation. Conclusion: Splenic tissue exhibited an antioxidant response to oxidative damage induced by hemolysis, and lipid peroxidation was associated with the severity of anemia. However, under the conditions tested, melatonin was ineffective in attenuating oxidative stress or hematological alterations associated with acute hemolytic anemia.
SN - 2531-1379
SN - 2531-1387
ER -