Abstract
Objective: Egyptian Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and a wide range of vitamins and phyto-constituents that were absorbed slowly due to their high molecular weights. Therefore, this study was designed to accelerate the absorption of these phyto-constituents and hence increase their bioavailability by incorporating silver (Ag-NPs) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) due to their impressive properties. Methods: The major phyto-constituents and different biological activities were quantified in aqueous extract before and after incorporating metal nanoparticles (M-NPs). The efficiency of ZnO-P. nano-extract was studied on cell cycle and apoptosis of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HEPG-2) cells. Then, both Ag- and ZnO-P. nano-extracts were studied against hepatic fibrosis induced by thioacetamide (TAA) in rats through undergoing different hematological and biochemical measurements in addition to the histopathological examination in hepatic tissues compared to the extract itself. Results: The ZnO-P. nano-extract showed significantly (P<0.05) higher antioxidant and scavenging activity due to the existence of higher total polyphenolic content. Also, it exhibited a significantly (P<0.05) higher inhibitory effect on acetyl cholinesterase (AChE) activity and higher cytotoxic activity against HEPG-2 cells. Therefore, ZnO-P. nano-extract was studied against the cell cycle and apoptosis of HEPG-2 cells compared to the extract itself. It was found that ZnO-P. nano-extract was safer than Ag-P. nano-extract. Both Ag- and ZnO- P. nano-extracts were studied against the hepatic fibrosis induced by thioacetamide (TAA) compared to the native extract. It was noticed that ZnO-P. nano-extract exhibited an ameliorative effect against hepatic fibrosis by decreasing levels of inflammatory and fibrotic markers significantly (P<0.05) more than Ag-P. nano-extract. Furthermore, it improved the antioxidant status of the hepatic tissue in addition to restoring the histopathological architecture of liver tissue. Conclusion: ZnO-P. nano-extract showed higher in vitro and in vivo biological activities than Ag-P. nano-extract and native P. extract itself.
Highlights
Portulaca oleracea belongs to the Family portulacaceae and the genus Portulaca
It is commonly called Purslane (Azuka et al, 2014). It was mentioned in Egyptian texts from the time of the Pharaohs that Purslane was used as a nutritious vegetable because it is richer in omega-3 fatty acids and wide range of vitamins like vitamin A, B, C and carotenoids in addition to beneficial minerals like magnesium, calcium, potassium, and iron than other vegetables consumed by a human being (Uddin et al, 2014)
This study is concerned with demonstrating the possible hepatoprotective effect of P. extract incorporated with Ag- and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) and ingested orally in attenuating liver fibrosis induced by TAA in rat models
Summary
Portulaca oleracea belongs to the Family portulacaceae and the genus Portulaca. it is commonly called Purslane (Azuka et al, 2014). Two types of betalain alkaloid pigments with antioxidant and antimutagenic activities were detected in the P. extract (Sudhakar et al, 2010) It was used widely in Chinese medicine as antifertility, anti-diabetic, antifungal and anti-inflammatory in addition to the wound healing properties and the protective effect against oxidative stress caused by vitamin A deficiency (Gong et al, 2009). The presence of -OH groups on the surface of the ZnO-NPs permit them to dissolve slowly in both acidic and basic conditions Based on this characteristic that enables ZnO-NPs to dissolve in the tumor cells and tumor microenvironment, they exhibited a wide range of biomedical applications as anti-angiogenesis, antiplatelet, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer agents in addition to drug and gene delivery (Bisht and Rayamajhi, 2016 ; Sonia et al, 2017). This study is concerned with demonstrating the possible hepatoprotective effect of P. extract incorporated with Ag- and ZnO-NPs and ingested orally in attenuating liver fibrosis induced by TAA in rat models
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