English abstract
Background: Pteropyrum scoparium (Sidaf) is one of the medicinal plants that are
available in Oman. It is used as a traditional medicine to treat dyspepsia and liver diseases
due to its antioxidant properties. There are few studies investigated the protective effect
of PSE against oxidative stress Objective: This study aimed to asses the biochemical
impact of Pteropyrum scoparium against heated palm olein mediated oxidative stress in
rat liver.
Methods: The palm olein was repeatedly heated at 180±1 ℃ for 5 continues days and
then used for rat feeding. The oil properties before and after heating were analyzed by
measuring peroxide value (PV), acid value (AV), total polar compounds (TPC), and fatty
acid composition. This experiment included forty-eight male Fischer 344 rats were
divided into equal four groups; first group: rats were fed 15% non-heated palm olein diet
(n=12), second group: rats were fed the same diet as the first group with PSE (n=12),
third group: rats were fed 15% heated palm olein diet (n=12) and fourth group: rats were
fed the same diet as the third group with PSE (n=12). The rats were given PSE by oral
gavage at 3.5 mg of dry solid extract/week/rat twice a week for eight weeks and then
sacrificed. Liver organ was removed and part of liver tissue was used to examine
histopathological changes and another part of liver was used for biochemical
measurements of total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and glutathione (GSH).
Results: There was a significant increase (P ˂0.05) in PV, AV, and TPC for palm olein
after heating. However, the fatty acid composition was not significantly affected by
heating (P ˃0.05). Heated palm olein diet caused oxidative stress in rat liver as evidenced
by decreasing TAC level and depletion of GSH. Besides, heated palm olein caused fatty
infiltration in hepatocytes as shown by histopathology analysis while non-heated palm
olein did not show any changes. PSE supplementation showed a positive effect in treated
groups by improving significantly the level of GSH and TAC. Conclusion: PSE combats
oxidative stress induced by a heated palm olein diet in hepatocytes in experimental rats.
