title: Heart and kidney oxidative stress status in septic rats treated with caraway extracts.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Carum carvi L., (Umbelliferae) known as caraway, is a famous traditional herbal plant supposed to contain active components with pharmacological properties.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In this study, the effects of caraway extracts on preventing sepsis induced by oxidative tissue injuries have been investigated by measuring heart and kidney oxidative stress parameters.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sepsis was induced in rats (n = 6) by experimental cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) model. Then, either hydroalcoholic extract or essential oils (50 and 100 mg/kg body weight) were injected intraperitonially immediately after CLP operation. Twenty-four hours after CLP, the rats were anesthetized when kidney and heart tissues were removed to analyze the tissue oxidative stress parameters, that is, glutathione (GSH) and lipid peroxidation (LP).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sepsis induction caused a significant increase in kidney but not heart LP, indicating that kidney was more affected by sepsis induction than heart. Kidney LP and plasma urea/creatinine ratio levels were readily reversed in rats treated with essential oils but not in those treated with hydroalcoholic extract. Unlike LP, the heart and kidney GSH levels were not affected in all treated groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data imply that caraway oils probably have a protective role in kidney tissue against oxidative injury in advanced stages of sepsis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Qom Branch, Islamic Azad University, P.O. Box 37185/364, Qom, Iran.
authors.forename: Abolfazl
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dadkhah
authors.forename: Faezeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fatemi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D029974:Carum / Q000737:chemistry*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005978:Glutathione / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D018805:Sepsis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D010936:Plant Extracts; D005978:Glutathione