Abstract
Pumpkin seed oil (PSO) possesses a protective potential against liver injury due to the presence of biologically active ingredients. Adult male albino rats were administrated PSO (per os, 2 mL/kg b.w./day) and a 12% ethanol solution in water, ad libitum, with an average intake of 8.14 g of ethanol/kg bw/day for 6 weeks. Congestion, hepatic central vein dilation, portal vein branch dilation, Kupffer cell hyperplasia, fatty liver changes, hepatocyte focal necrosis were observed after daily alcohol intake. All observed changes were reduced when PSO was ingested with ethanol. PSO intake itself induced discrete cellular edema, congestion and slight dilatation of the central and portal vain branches. Chronic ethanol intake elevated catalase (CAT) activity and glutathione reductase (GR) protein expression; concomitant PSO intake had no effect on CAT activity or GR protein expression. PSO intake decreased the activities of GR, glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and xanthine oxidase (XOD) in the liver, probably due to the ingestion of antioxidants. Intake of PSO and ethanol significantly decreased cytosolic superoxide dismutase (SOD1) and increased NF-?B protein expression compared to ethanol intake, suggesting that the protective effects of PSO were mediated by the NF-?B signaling pathway. Our results reveal a therapeutic potential of PSO in alcoholic liver disease.
Highlights
Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.) seeds possess antioxidant [1], hypolipidemic [2], antidiabetic [3], anti-atherogenic and hepatoprotective [4] activities
Our study revealed the hepatoprotective effect of pumpkin seed oil (PSO) when administered with ethanol
Significant and severe focal necrosis was completely absent in rats that received 2 mL/kg bw of PSO along with ad libitum ethanol ingestion
Summary
Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.) seeds possess antioxidant [1], hypolipidemic [2], antidiabetic [3], anti-atherogenic and hepatoprotective [4] activities. Phytochemical analysis has shown that pumpkin seed oil (PSO) is a rich source of unsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants and sterols [5], amino acids, essential fatty acids, β-carotenes, some triterpenes, phytosterols, zinc, selenium [6], tyrosol, vanillin, vanillic acid, ferulic acid, luteolin [7], polysaccharides, para-amino benzoic acids, omega 6 essential fatty acid, linoleic and oleic acid, vitamins A and E [8,9] Components such as polyphenols and zinc belong to a large group of antioxidants that are involved in the elimination of free radicals through different mechanisms. We measured the activities of glutathioneS-transferase (GST) and xanthine oxidase (XOD), the concentrations of total glutathione and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and the expression of pro-apoptotic p53 protein and transcription factor NF-κB induced by oxidative stress
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