CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF UNSAPONIFIABLE MATTER OF OLIVE OIL, LINSEED AND SESAME SEED OILS

Abstract

In the present study, hepatoprotective and anticancer activities of the Unsaponifiable matter (UNSAP) of olive oil, linseed, and sesame oils against CCl4-induced liver toxicity in rats was investigated. In a preliminary antioxidant study, UNSAP of each of olive oil, linseed, and sesame oils showed pronounced DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC50 6.2, 7.3 and 10.8 mg/mL). The constituents of UNSAP were determined by GC-MS. Administration of CCl4, subcutaneously, caused liver injury. The hepatoprotective effect of UNSAP was comparable to that of α-Tocopherol, a standard antioxidant agent. Co-administration of the investigated UNSAP normalized the activities of serum marker enzymes, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Furthermore, the serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) level were found to be alleviated by pretreatment with the UNSAP. Histopathological evaluation showed marked improvement in the liver tissue of UNSAP- and α-Tocopherol-treated animals. Results indicated the efficiency of UNSAP of olive oil against investigated cancer cell lines compared with the other studied UNSAPs. The evaluation of Nitric oxide radical scavenging activity of UNSAP of olive oil and ascorbic acid showed a similar trend. The tested UNSAP of olive oils showed a potent inhibitory effect against COX-2 as compared to celecoxib. The hepatoprotective and anticancer effect could be attributed to the antioxidant characteristics of UNSAP. UNSAP of olive oil has a promising and selective effect as anti-inflammatory agent that may be useful in treating inflammation or related disease.