Hepatoprotective effect of carob against acute ethanol-induced oxidative stress in rat.
The present study was undertaken to determine whether subacute treatment with aqueous extract of carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) pods (AECPs) protects against ethanol (EtOH)-induced oxidative stress in rat liver. Animals were divided into four groups: control, carob, EtOH and EtOH + carob. Wistar rats were intraperitoneally pretreated with AECP (600 mg/kg body weight (bw)) during 7 days and intoxicated for 6 h by acute oral administration of EtOH (6 g/kg bw) 24 h after the last injection. We found that acute administration of EtOH leads to hepatotoxicity as monitored by the increase in the levels of hepatic marker aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase as well as hepatic tissue injury. EtOH also increased the formation of malondialdehyde in the liver, indicating an increase in lipid peroxidation and depletion of antioxidant enzyme activities as superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase. Subacute carob pretreatment prevented all the alterations induced by EtOH and returned their levels to near normal. Importantly, we showed that acute alcohol increased hepatic and plasmatic hydrogen peroxide and free iron levels. The carob pretreatment reversed EtOH effects to near control levels. These data suggest that carob could have a beneficial effect in inhibiting the oxidative damage induced by acute EtOH administration and that its mode of action may involve an opposite effect on plasma and tissue-free iron accumulation. Indeed, carob can be offered as a food additive to protect against EtOH-induced oxidative damage.
Laboratoire de Nutrition et Physiologie Animale, Institut Supérieur de Biotechnologie de Béja, Béja, Tunisia Département des Sciences Biologiques, Laboratoire de Neurophysiologie Fonctionnelle et Pathologies, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Campus Universitaire El Manar II-2092 Tunis, Tunisia.
Abdelaziz
A
Souli
Laboratoire de Nutrition et Physiologie Animale, Institut Supérieur de Biotechnologie de Béja, Béja, Tunisia Laboratoire de Physiologie Intégrée, Faculté des Sciences de Bizerte, Jarzouna, Tunisia sebaihichem@yahoo.fr.
Hichem
H
Sebai
Laboratoire de Physiologie Intégrée, Faculté des Sciences de Bizerte, Jarzouna, Tunisia.
Latifa
L
Chehimi
Laboratoire de Nutrition et Physiologie Animale, Institut Supérieur de Biotechnologie de Béja, Béja, Tunisia Département des Sciences Biologiques, Laboratoire de Neurophysiologie Fonctionnelle et Pathologies, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Campus Universitaire El Manar II-2092 Tunis, Tunisia.
Kaïs
K
Rtibi
Laboratoire d'anatomie pathologique humaine et expérimentale, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia.
Haifa
H
Tounsi
Laboratoire d'anatomie pathologique humaine et expérimentale, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia.
Samir
S
Boubaker
Laboratoire de Physiologie Intégrée, Faculté des Sciences de Bizerte, Jarzouna, Tunisia.
Mohsen
M
Sakly
INSERM U773 Centre de Recherche Biomédicale, Faculté de Médecine X. Bichat, Paris France.
Jamel
J
El-Benna
Département des Sciences Biologiques, Laboratoire de Neurophysiologie Fonctionnelle et Pathologies, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Campus Universitaire El Manar II-2092 Tunis, Tunisia.
Mohamed
M
Amri
D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005685:Galactans / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D008351:Mannans / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D053149:Plant Gums / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism
D000975:Antioxidants; D005685:Galactans; D008351:Mannans; D053149:Plant Gums; D000431:Ethanol; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D002374:Catalase; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; C017471:locust bean gum
Carob; EtOH; iron; liver; oxidative stress; rat