Effect of Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) Seed Oil on Markers of Oxidative Stress Induced by Carbon Tetrachloride in Wistar Rats

Abstract

The pomegranate seed oil (PSO) presents a high content of the punicic acid (PA), which is a conjugated isomer of α-linolenic acid (CLNA). Conjugated fatty acids have increasingly attracted scientific interest because of their several potential health benefits, including antioxidant activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the supplementation effect of PSO on oxidative stress markers in rats subjected to liver injury by carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 ). Animals were supplemented with PSO at concentrations of 2% and 4%, for 21 days, and then subjected to liver injury induced by CCl 4 . The PSO supplementation reduced serum aminotransferase enzymes and the percentage of liver damage induced by CCl 4 . Conversely, PSO supplementation increased the lipid hydroperoxides levels in the liver. Overall, these results suggest that supplementation with PSO is not capable of attenuating markers of oxidative stress caused by CCl 4 .