Effects of consumption of rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) and a rooibos-derived commercial supplement on hepatic tissue injury by tert-butyl hydroperoxide in Wistar rats.

B D Canda,J L Marnewick,O O Oguntibeju

doi:10.1155/2014/716832

B D Canda, J L Marnewick + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/716832

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Abstract

This study investigated the antioxidative effect of rooibos herbal tea and a rooibos-derived commercial supplement on tert-butyl hydroperoxide- (t-BHP-) induced oxidative stress in the liver. Forty male Wistar rats consumed fermented rooibos, unfermented rooibos, a rooibos-derived commercial supplement, or water for 10 weeks, while oxidative stress was induced during the last 2 weeks via intraperitoneal injection of 30 µmole of t-BHP per 100 g body weight. None of the beverages impaired the body weight gain of the respective animals. Rats consuming the rooibos-derived commercial supplement had the highest (P < 0.05) daily total polyphenol intake (169 mg/day) followed by rats consuming the unfermented rooibos (93.4 mg/day) and fermented rooibos (73.1 mg/day). Intake of both the derived supplement and unfermented rooibos restored the t-BHP-induced reduction and increased (P < 0.05) the antioxidant capacity status of the liver, while not impacting on lipid peroxidation. The rooibos herbal tea did not affect the hepatic antioxidant enzymes, except fermented rooibos that caused a decrease (P < 0.05) in superoxide dismutase activity. This study confirms rooibos herbal tea as good dietary antioxidant sources and, in conjunction with its many other components, offers a significantly enhanced antioxidant status of the liver in an induced oxidative stress situation.

Highlights

There has been a steady increase in the popularity of polyphenols/flavonoids and other dietary products as health and wellness promoting agents against excess of free radicals
None of the rooibos interventions had any significant effect on the tert-butyl hydroperoxide- (t-BHP-)induced MDA elevation in the liver when compared to the control group consuming water
A decreasing trend in this marker was noted in all the groups, with the group consuming the rooibos-derived commercial supplement showing the lowest value (121 nmole/mg ± 22 versus 153 nmole/mg ± 34 for the control)

Summary

Introduction

There has been a steady increase in the popularity of polyphenols/flavonoids and other dietary products as health and wellness promoting agents against excess of free radicals. Epidemiological studies have demonstrated an inverse correlation between the consumption of diets rich in flavonoids and decreased cellular damage via direct radical scavenging of reactive species, chelating of metal ions, or challenging enzymatic systems responsible for free radical production [1,2,3] Some of these compounds can activate phase II detoxification enzymes and modify physiological and biotransformation reactions, enhancing the xenobiotic detoxification process [4]. Hepatic tissue is greatly exposed to oxidative stress due to its important role in the regulation of various physiological processes including metabolism of carbohydrates and fats, synthesis of bile acids and coagulation proteins, and detoxification of endogenous and xenobiotic compounds among others, exposing itself to free radical injury as a result of sustained exposure to numerous potential toxicants. This damage by free radicals may result from direct or indirect attacks on essential biomolecules leading to the development of diseases such as cancer, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and many others [9,10,11,12]

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