title: Palm kernel cake extract exerts hepatoprotective activity in heat-induced oxidative stress in chicken hepatocytes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Palm kernel cake (PKC), the most abundant by-product of oil palm industry is believed to contain bioactive compounds with hepatoprotective potential. These compounds may serve as hepatoprotective agents which could help the poultry industry to alleviate adverse effects of heat stress on liver function in chickens.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was performed to evaluate the hepatoprotective potential of PKC extract in heat-induced oxidative stress in chicken hepatocytes. The nature of the active metabolites and elucidation of the possible mechanism involved were also investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The PKC extract possessed free radical scavenging activity with values significantly (p < 0.05) lower than silymarin as the reference antioxidant. Heat-induced oxidative stress in chicken hepatocyte impaired the total protein, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzymes activity significantly (p < 0.05). Treatment of heat-induced hepatocytes with PKC extract (125 μg/ml) and silymarin as positive control increased these values significantly (p < 0.05). The real time PCR and western blot analyses revealed the significant (p < 0.05) up-regulation of oxidative stress biomarkers including TNF-like, IFN-γ and IL-1β genes; NF-κB, COX-2, iNOS and Hsp70 proteins expression upon heat stress in chicken hepatocytes. The PKC extract and silymarin were able to alleviate the expression of all of these biomarkers in heat-induced chicken hepatocytes. The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of PKC extract showed the presence of fatty acids, phenolic compounds, sugar derivatives and other organic compounds such as furfural which could be responsible for the observed hepatoprotective activity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Palm kernel cake extract could be a potential agent to protect hepatocytes function under heat induced oxidative stress.
authors.forename: Ehsan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Oskoueian
authors.affiliation: Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia. norhani.biotech@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Norhani
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Abdullah
authors.forename: Zulkifli
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Idrus
authors.forename: Mahdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ebrahimi
authors.forename: Yong Meng
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Goh
authors.forename: Majid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shakeri
authors.forename: Armin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oskoueian
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D028023:Arecaceae / Q000737:chemistry; D002645:Chickens; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000187:drug effects*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; D010936:Plant Extracts; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II