title: Garlic extract attenuates immobilization stress-induced alterations in plasma antioxidant/oxidant parameters and hepatic function in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the oxidative stress induced by 6 h of immobilization stress in Albino Wistar rats. Further, the pre- and post-treatment of aqueous garlic extract was studied to evaluate its preventive and curative efficacy on stress-induced altered oxidative parameters in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Albino Wistar rats were exposed to 6 h of immobilization stress, and received garlic extract (100 mg/kg body weight) treatment pre- or post-stress exposure. The oxidative status of plasma after various treatments were evaluated by determining the levels of reduced glutathione, glucose, uric acid, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione-S-transferase by standardized procedures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Immobilization of rats generated oxidative stress in rat plasma, by decreasing the activities of antioxidant enzymes, glutathione levels and glucose, while increasing the lipid peroxidation, serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase, ALP and uric acid compared to the non-stressed controls (P<0.01). The garlic extract administration both pre- and post-stress exposure significantly prevented the rise in the diagnostic liver enzymes and reverted the decrease of antioxidant enzymatic activities compared to the stressed group (P<0.05 or P <0.01). Post-stress treatment of extract was found more effective than pre-stress treatment in reverting the values back to normal (P<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Garlic extract seems promising as a nutritional supplement for scavenging free radicals generated in the plasma and to prevent resulting oxidative stress.
authors.affiliation: Center of Excellence in Genomic Medicine Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. kashif_biochem@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Syed Kashif
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Zaidi
authors.affiliation: Center of Excellence in Genomic Medicine Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Shakeel Ahmed
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ansari
authors.affiliation: King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Shams
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tabrez
authors.affiliation: Departments of Medical Laboratory, Imaging and Radiologic Sciences and Neurology, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, 30912, USA.
authors.forename: Md Nasrul
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Hoda
authors.affiliation: King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Ghulam Md
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Ashraf
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mohd Shahnawaz
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Buraydah, 51431, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Sultan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alnohair
authors.affiliation: College of Medical Rehabilitation, Qassim University, Buraydah, 51452, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Naheed
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Banu
authors.affiliation: Center of Excellence in Genomic Medicine Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mohammed Hussain
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Al-Qahtani
keywords: alanine transaminase; antioxidant enzymes; aspartate aminotransferase; garlic; malondialdehyde; stress