Overdose of acetaminophen (paracetamol), a widely used non-prescriptive analgesic and antipyretic medication, is one of the main causes of drug-induced acute liver failure around the world. Oxidative stress contributes to this hepatotoxicity. Antioxidants are known to protect the liver from oxidative stress. Selenium, a potent antioxidant, is a commonly used micronutrient. Here, we evaluated the protective effect of selenium on acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity. Treating Wistar albino mice with sodium selenite (1 mg/kg) before or after inducing hepatotoxicity with acetaminophen (150 mg/kg) significantly reduced the levels of liver injury biomarkers such as serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase and serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase. In addition, selenium-treated mice showed decreased levels of oxidative stress markers such as protein carbonyls and myeloperoxidase. Acetaminophen treatment stimulated all three mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and Keap1 and decreased the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 in liver and in isolated mouse peritoneal macrophages, which was reversed by selenium treatment. Our findings suggest that the reactive oxygen species-mediated Nrf2 and MAPK pathways are critical players in acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity. These key findings offer an alternative therapeutic target for addressing acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity.
