No abstract

The liver is vulnerable to alcohol-related injury because it is the primary site of alcohol metabolism. Additionally, a number of potentially dangerous by-products are generated as alcohol is broken down in the liver. However, dietary supplements may prevent or relieve some of alcohol's deleterious effects. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the prophylactic effect of aqueous extract of Sesamum indicum (SI) on ethanol induced toxicity in rats. Male Wistar albino rats were divided into control, ethanol, pre-treatment, simultaneous and post-treatment groups. In the prophylactic experiment, Sesamum indicum, (200 mg/kg body weight) was administered by oral gavage for 28 days; two hours before, simultaneously with or two hours after ethanol exposure. Toxicity was induced by administering 45% ethanol (4.8 g/kg bw) by oral gavage. Lipid peroxidation (TBARS) and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels and catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and gluthathione-S-transferase (GST) activities were then determined in the liver, serum triglyceride (TG) levels, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities were monitored and histological examination was carried out. The results revealed that ethanol administration led to significant elevation of TBARS level while depleting in the level of GSH as well as CAT, GPx, SOD and GST activities. Similarly, TG level and ALT and AST activities were elevated. The SI pre-treated group significantly inhibited TBARS, restored GSH level, enhanced CAT, GPx, SOD and GST activities and significantly decreased the elevated level of serum TG, ALT and AST activities. SI treatment (simultaneously with ethanol) exhibited similar effects to those of the SI pre-treated groups, while the SI post-treated group did not show the same protection as the Pre-treated group. S. indicum possesses antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties, that eliminate the deleterious effects of toxic metabolites of ethanol.

Graphical abstract

Egusi melon (Colocynthis citrullus lanatus) is a vegetable oil crop commonly grown in West Africa. In this study, four species of melon seeds, Cucumis melo, Citrullus lanatus, Citrullus vulgaris and Lagenaria siceraria, were analysed for fatty acid composition using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry. The lipid profile showed that linoleic acid was the most predominant fatty acid in Lagenaria siceraria having the highest value (73.31%), followed by Citrullus vulgaris (67.79%) while Cucumis melo had 20.51% and none was present in Citrullus lanatus. Lauric acid (6.44), palmitic acid (2.80%), methyl esters of stearic acid (2.14%), palmitic acid methyl ester (21.20%), vaccenic acid (16.66%) and myristic acid (49.91%), which are saturated fatty acids, were found in Citrullus lanatus but were absent in the other melon species. In conclusion, this study showed that egusi Cucumis melo, Citrullus vulgaris and Lagenaria siceraria are rich sources of linoleic acid, an unsaturated fatty acid that is known to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases while Citrullus lanatus contain several saturated fatty acids which can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

No abstract