EVALUATION OF SOME BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS IN RABBITS BLOOD AFTER TWO WEEKS EXPOSURE OF EPICATECHIN

Abstract

The aim of present study was to analyse biochemical parameters in blood of rabbits after epicatechin administration during two weeks. Animals (adult female rabbits, body weight 4 ± 0.5 kg) were divided into four groups: control group (C) and experimental groups (E1 – E3). Experimental groups received epicatechin in injectable form at 10 µg.kg-1 in E1, 100 µg.kg-1 in E2 and 1000 µg.kg-1 in E3 for 14 days three times a week. After two weeks of exposure the blood was collected, in blood serum selected biochemical parameters [(glucose, urea, bilirubin, cholesterol, triglycerides, total proteins, calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), phosphorus (P)] were analysed by automatic analyzer Microlab 300 (Merck®, Germany). Potassium (K+), sodium (Na+), chlorides (Cl-) were analysed by EasyLyte Plus (Medica Corporation, USA). Epicatechin had no significant influence on the observed parameters (P > 0.05). The present study has shown that the serum cholesterol level and triglycerides levels in the E2 and E3 groups were higher than in the control group, however without significant differences (P > 0.05). Two weeks exposure of epicatehin caused also insignificant increase of glucose in all experimental groups in comparison with the control group. Epicatechin had no effect on the others analysed biochemical parameters.