Corchorus olitorius L. Leaf Extract Protects Rats from Acrylamide-Induced Hepatic Injury

Abstract

Acrylamide is a water-soluble compound that forms during the high-temperature cooking of starchy foods and has carcinogenic, neurotoxic, and genotoxic properties. Also, short-term exposure to acrylamide has been shown to cause significant hepatic injury in laboratory animals, along with disruption of antioxidant defense mechanisms due to excessive ROS production. Therefore, dietary antioxidants are believed to be useful in combating the negative effects of acrylamide. Corchorus olitoris L., also known as molokhia in Arabic, is a leafy vegetable which is shown to possess potent antioxidant and organoprotective properties. In this study, rats were administered with an aqueous extract of molokhia leaves to see if it could protect them against acrylamide-induced hepatic damage. Hepatic injury markers included serum total protein, total bilirubin, ALT, AST, and ALP, while oxidative stress markers included MDA, GSH, CAT, and SOD after dosing with three levels of extract (100, 250, and 500 mg/kg) for 21 days. Results indicated that the extracts substantially reduced elevated levels of bilirubin, ALT, AST, ALP, and MDA to normal levels at all doses. The extracts also brought serum protein, GSH, CAT, and SOD levels back to normal. Although the restoration of serum hepatic enzyme levels was dose dependent, no specific dose dependent relationship was found for serum proteins, MDA, GSH, CAT, or SOD activities. The study's findings show that molokhia leaves extract protects against acrylamide-induced hepatic damage by virtue of its good radical scavenging and anti-lipiperoxidative properties conferred by phenolics, flavonoids, and alkaloids.