RESEARCH ARTICLE Antagonistic effects of Spirulina platensis on diazinon-induced hemato-biochemical alterations and oxidative stress in rats Mohamed M. Abdel-Daim 1 & Abdelrahman Ibrahim Abushouk 2 & Maha I. Alkhalf 3 & Eman A. Toraih 4,5 & Manal S. Fawzy 6,7 & Hira Ijaz 8 & Lotfi Aleya 9 & Simona G. Bungau 10 Received: 16 March 2018 /Accepted: 13 July 2018 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2018 Abstract Spirulina platensis (SP) is a traditionally used microalga for a wide range of pharmacological activities, including amelioration of heavy metals and pesticides toxicity. This study evaluated the antioxidant and organoprotective effects of SP against diazinon (DZN)-induced subacute toxicity on the blood, heart, liver, and kidneys of male Wistar albino rats. Diazinon (20 mg/kg, subcutaneous) was administered to animals either alone or along with an oral pure SP powder at doses of 500 and 1000 mg/ kg. Alterations in hematological and serum biochemical parameters, as well as oxidative stress markers in the hepatic, renal, and cardiac tissues were evaluated, using colorimetric spectrophotometric techniques. The obtained results revealed that in compar- ison to the control group, DZN-treated rats exhibited significantly lower (p < 0.05) red blood cells and platelets counts, hemo- globin and hematocrit values, and activities of serum acetylcholinesterase and tissue antioxidant enzymes (glutathione peroxi- dase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase). Meanwhile, biochemical analysis showed significantly higher (p < 0.05) white blood cells count, serum concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α and cardiac [creatine kinase (CK) and CK-muscle/brain fraction], hepatic [transaminases and alkaline phosphatase], and renal [uric acid, urea and creatinine] injury markers, and tissue levels of malondialdehyde (a marker of lipid peroxidation) in the DZN-intoxicated group, compared to normal controls. Interestingly, the administration of SP significantly ameliorated the previous hemato-biochemical alterations and mitigated DZN-induced organ injuries and oxidative stress. In conclusion, the natural antioxidant microalga (SP) effectively alleviated the DZN-induced hematologic alterations and organ injuries, probably through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Keywords Diazinon . Heart . Kidneys . Liver . Oxidative stress . Spirulina platensis Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues * Mohamed M. Abdel-Daim Abdeldaim.m@vet.suez.edu.eg; Abdeldaim.m@gmail.com 1 Pharmacology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt 2 Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt 3 Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Al Faisaliah King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 4 Genetics Unit, Department of Histology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt 5 Center of Excellence of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt 6 Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt 7 Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Northern Border University, Arar, Saudi Arabia 8 College of Pharmacy, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan 9 Chrono-Environnement Laboratory, UMR CNRS 6249, Bourgogne Franche-Comté University, 25030 11 Besançon Cedex, France 10 Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Oradea, Oradea, Romania Environmental Science and Pollution Research https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-2761-0