Ascorbic acid mitigates doxorubicin-induced spleen injury in rats: Histopathological and immunohistochemical insights

This study assessed the protective potential of ascorbic acid against doxorubicin-induced spleen tissue damage in rats. Twenty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups. The control group received saline every other day at a dose of 1mL throughout the experiment. The ascorbic acid group was administered 50mg/kg of ascorbic acid daily for 10 days. The doxorubicin group received a single dose of 15mg/kg of doxorubicin on day 7. The ascorbic acid + doxorubicin group received both 50mg/kg of ascorbic acid daily for 10 days and a single dose of 15mg/kg of doxorubicin on day 7. After the experiment, splenic tissue samples were examined histopathologically and immunohistochemically. Histopathological analysis revealed edema, destruction, and degeneration in the doxorubicin group, but these changes were alleviated in the ascorbic acid-treated group, approaching control group levels. Immunohistochemical analysis showed increased CD4(+) and CD8(+) cell immunopositivity in the ascorbic acid + doxorubicin group compared to the doxorubicin group. Biochemical tests indicated that doxorubicin reduced superoxide dismutase activity and increased malondialdehyde levels, whereas ascorbic acid mitigated these effects. The findings suggest that ascorbic acid may have a protective role against doxorubicin-induced spleen injury in rats.