Abstract
Vegetables, drinking water, and preserved meats may contain sodium nitrite (NaNO2), which causes liver disease by inducing oxidative stress. Phytochemicals are highly recommended as an alternative to synthetic drugs and affordable medicines to treat liver disease because they have fewer or no side effects. Therefore, this study aims to determine the antioxidant and hepatoprotective potential of red okra fruit ethanol extract against NaNO2-induced liver damage. Thirty-six male mice were separated into six groups. The normal control group (WA) was given distilled water only, and the NaNO2 (SN) group was given only 50 mg/kg BW NaNO2. The other four groups (P1, P2, P3, and P4) were given NaNO2 and red okra ethanol extract at doses of 25, 50, 75, and 100 mg/kg BW, respectively. Gavage was administered orally for 21 consecutive days. Commercial kits define all biochemical parameters according to the manufacturer's instructions. Liver tissue staining followed standard protocols using hematoxylin and eosin. The study revealed that NaNO2 induction causes oxidative stress and damages the liver. The activity of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and catalase) significantly increased in the groups treated (P2–P4) with ethanol extract of red okra (p < 0.05). Besides, the oxidants (malondialdehyde, F2-isoprostanes, and nitric oxide) in the liver homogenate significantly decreased in the P4 group, which were given red okra ethanol extract (p < 0.05). Likewise, red okra pods decreased significantly for the serum biochemical parameters of liver damage (aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and alanine aminotransferase) in the P3 and P4 groups (p < 0.05). Then, it led to a restoration of the histological structure compared to exposed mice (SN), as the pathological scores decreased significantly in the P3 and P4 groups (p < 0.05), as well as the number of the necrotic and swollen liver cells was reduced. Hepatocytes returned to normal. The results showed that the ethanol extract of red okra fruit could be helpful as an affordable medicine. It is an antioxidant and hepatoprotective agent to protect the liver from damage caused by NaNO2.
Highlights
Hepatic diseases are global deadly health problems that cause human deaths
Ere was no significant difference between the P1 and SN. e percentage of necrosis was significantly decreased in the P2, P3, and P4 groups than the SN and P1. e P3 and P4 groups showed a significant decrease in necrosis percentage than P2 (Figure 2(a)). e were normal control (WA) group displayed the highest percentage of normal cells, while the SN and P1 showed the lowest percentage. e percentage of normal hepatocytes was significantly decreased in SN, P1, P2, P3, and P4 compared to the mice who received distilled water only (WA). e administration of ethanol extract from red okra pods significantly increased the percentage of normal cells in the P2, P3, and P4 compared to the SN
The administration of NaNO2 decreased the percentage of the normal hepatocytes; the administration of ethanol extract of red okra to the mice exposed to NaNO2 increased the percentage of the normal cell compared to the mice given NaNO2 alone. e administration of NaNO2 in SN significantly caused an increase in the hepatocytes’ swelling percentage compared to the WA. e administration of red okra pods ethanolic extract in P2, P3, and P4 significantly decreased the percentage of swelling compared to SN. ere was no significant difference in the percentage of cell swelling between P1, P2, and P3 as well as between P1 and SN (Figure 2(c))
Summary
Hepatic diseases are global deadly health problems that cause human deaths. It is estimated that around 2 million deaths each year in the world is associated with liver diseases. E liver is a vital organ responsible for the detoxification of poisonous materials such as xenobiotics It plays various roles in metabolism, secretion of wastes, and Veterinary Medicine International elimination of unneeded materials from the body; it is the main target of toxins and xenobiotics [4, 5]. Natural and artificial manufactured food additives increase and maintain food safety, texture, taste, and nutrient value They are beneficial, synthesized additives may cause some adverse effects [6]. One of the synthesized food additives is sodium nitrite (NaNO2), which can be present in vegetables, cured meat, and fish. Human activities such as agriculture, which involves using nitrogenous fertilizer to increase crop productions, improper handling, and maintenance of industrial and sewage waste, increase the risk of NaNO2 exposure to humans. NaNO2 is used in meat and fish as a color fixative agent to improve flavor, delay rancidity by preventing fat oxidation, and inhibit the growth of microorganisms such as Clostridium perfringens, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus cereus, as well as C. botulinum that causes botulism [8, 10, 11]
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