Protective Effects of Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) and/or Red Palm Oil (Elaeis guineensis) Supplementation ontert-Butyl Hydroperoxide-Induced Oxidative Hepatotoxicity in Wistar Rats

Abstract

The possible protective effects of an aqueous rooibos extract (Aspalathus linearis), red palm oil (RPO) (Elaeis guineensis), or their combination on tert-butyl-hydroperoxide-(t-BHP-)induced oxidative hepatotoxicity in Wistar rats were investigated. tert-butyl hydroperoxide caused a significant (P < 0.05) elevation in conjugated dienes (CD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, significantly (P < 0.05) decreased reduced glutathione (GSH) and GSH : GSSG ratio, and induced varying changes in activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase in the blood and liver. This apparent oxidative injury was associated with histopathological changes in liver architecture and elevated levels of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Supplementation with rooibos, RPO, or their combination significantly (P < 0.05) decreased CD and MDA levels in the liver and reduced serum level of ALT, AST, and LDH. Likewise, changes observed in the activities of antioxidant enzymes and impairment in redox status in the erythrocytes and liver were reversed. The observed protective effects when rooibos and RPO were supplemented concomitantly were neither additive nor synergistic. Our results suggested that rooibos and RPO, either supplemented alone or combined, are capable of alleviating t-BHP-induced oxidative hepatotoxicity, and the mechanism of this protection may involve inhibition of lipid peroxidation and modulation of antioxidants enzymes and glutathione status.

Hepatoprotective and antioxidant activities of &lt;i&gt;Hibiscus sabdariffa&lt;/i&gt; petal extracts in Wistar rats

“…6,7,23 The results that show the TAC (FRAP test) of the AEHS corroborate those of Ajuwon et al, 2012. 27 They show a FRAP value in rats treated by DNPH significantly inferior (p<0.05) to that in rats from the control group. These results would mean that the injection of DNPH causes an oxidative stress with an excessive production of free radicals at the origin of the disequilibrium of the balance antioxidants/pro-oxidants in favor of the latter.…”

The synergistic potential of various teas, herbs and therapeutic drugs in health improvement: a review

“…55 Rooibos tea, red palm oil or a combination of rooibos tea and red palm oil reversed the changes induced by the activities of glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase, but it was only the combination that was effective in augmenting catalase activity acting as a defence mechanism against free radicals. 56 A combination of green tea, rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) and fruit of the Persian oak (Quercus brantii Lindl.) at a ratio of 1:1:1 showed more reducing power at a concentration of 25 g mL −1 each, than butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), a synthetic antioxidant, at the same concentration.…”

Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) and its Major Flavonoids — Potential Against Oxidative Stress-Induced Conditions

“…In a t-BHP-induced hepatotoxicity model study, fermented rooibos consumption by rats reversed the elevation in serum aminotransferases and lactate dehydrogenase induced by t-BHP [211]. Histologically, the severe hepatic degeneration, hepatocyte vacuolation as well as massive lymphocyte and mononuclear cellular aggregation induced by t-BHP were also reversed.…”

“…Results from this study showed that rooibos supplementation was able to inhibit lipid peroxidation by decreasing the elevation in conjugated dienes and malondialdehyde levels induced by t-BHP. Simultaneously, the fermented rooibos extract also improves the glutathione redox status by increasing the reduced glutathione (GSH) concentration and invariably the GSH/GSSG ratio in the plasma and liver of the rats [211]. In another study, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (Escherichia coli, serotype 0111:B4, 0.5 mg/kg b.w., i.p.)…”