Biomedical Research

To evaluate hepatoprotective potential and molecular action on lipid metabolism, inflammation of flax oil and fish oil against alcohol induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Hepatic injury was induced by administering 30% alcohol (1 ml/100 g b.w./day, p.o.). Flax oil and fish oil were administered in the dose of 500 mg/kg b.w./ day orally for 15 days. Silymarin (100 mg/kg b.w./day) was used as standard drug. Biochemical parameters were analyzed from serum and liver tissue, and histological analysis was performed from liver tissue. The expressions of Fatty Acid Binding Protein 1 (FABP1), Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor Gamma (PPARγ), Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 1 (SREBP1), Nuclear Factor kappa β (NF-kβ) and Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-α) genes from liver were assayed by semi-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Administration of flax oil and fish oil prevented hepatic damage with marked improvement in hepatic function and normalization of lipid profiles in serum and liver. These interventions normalized oxidative stress through improvements in levels of antioxidant enzymes and oxidative stress markers. Expression of genes such as FABP1, PPARγ were deregulated and SREBP1, NF-kβ and TNF-α were up regulated in alcohol induced hepatotoxic rats while treatment with flax oil and fish oil showed improvement in these gene expression. Flax oil and fish oil showed a normal hepatic architecture. These results suggest that the flax oil and fish oil could protect the liver against alcohol-induced hepatotoxicity. However, further clinical studies are required to assess the safety and benefits of flax oil/fish oil in huma nbeings.

Author(s): Tejaswi Chandrakant Chavan, Abhijit Avinash Ghadge, Aniket Arun Kuvalekar
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