title: Hepatoprotective activity of thymoquinone in isolated rat hepatocytes.
abstract: Thymoquinone, the active constituent of Nigella sativa, was tested in isolated rat hepatocytes as a hepatoprotective agent against tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) toxicity. TBHP (2 mM) was used to produce oxidative injury in isolated rat hepatocytes and caused progressive depletion of intracellular glutathione (GSH), loss of cell viability as evidenced by trypan blue uptake and leakage of cytosolic enzymes, alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartic transaminase (AST). Preincubation of hepatocytes with 1 mM of either thymoquinone or silybin, which is a known hepatoprotective agent, resulted in the protection of isolated hepatocytes against TBHP induced toxicity evidenced by decreased leakage of ALT and AST, and by decreased trypan blue uptake in comparison to TBHP treated hepatocytes. Both thymoquinone and silybin prevented TBHP induced depletion of GSH to the same extent. Although thymoquinone protected the liver enzymes leakage, the degree of protection was less than that caused by silybin.
authors.affiliation: University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School, Pharmacology and Physiology Department, Newark 07103-2714, USA.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Daba
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Abdel-Rahman
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000032:analysis; D016227:Benzoquinones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D005978:Glutathione / Q000032:analysis; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D010545:Peroxides / Q000633:toxicity*; D020011:Protective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D012838:Silymarin / Q000494:pharmacology; D014343:Trypan Blue; D020122:tert-Butylhydroperoxide
chemical_list: D016227:Benzoquinones; D010545:Peroxides; D020011:Protective Agents; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D012838:Silymarin; D020122:tert-Butylhydroperoxide; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D005978:Glutathione; D014343:Trypan Blue; C003466:thymoquinone