The present study aimed, for the first time, to examine the biochemical effects of new
phthalimide analog, 2-[2-(2-Bromo-1-ethyl-1H-indol-3-yl) ethyl]-1H-
isoindole-1,3(2H)-dione, compared to
thalidomide drug against liver injury induced in mice.
Carbon tetrachloride was intraperitoneal injected in mice for 6 consecutive weeks at a dose of 0.4 mL/kg twice a week for liver injury induction. Histopathological examination, levels of
malondialdehyde,
nitric oxide, and
antioxidant enzymes were determined. Additionally, the
protein levels of
vascular endothelial growth factor, proliferating cell
nuclear protein,
tumor necrosis factor-alfa, nuclear factor kappa B-p65, B-cell lymphoma-2, and
cysteine-
aspartic acid protease-3 were determined. Results revealed that the treatment with
phthalimide analog improved the detected liver damage and presented an obvious
antioxidant activity through decreasing
malondialdehyde and
nitric oxide levels accompanied by increasing the levels of the
antioxidant enzymes. Furthermore, the analog exhibited an effective inhibitory activity towards the studied
protein expressions in liver tissues. Moreover, the B-cell lymphoma-2
protein level was increased while the
cysteine-
aspartic acid protease-3 level was suppressed after the treatment with
phthalimide analog. Together, these results propose that
phthalimide analog can ameliorate
carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury in mice through its potent inhibition mediating effect in oxidative stress,
inflammation, and apoptosis mechanisms.