Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Origanum majorana L. Methanolic Extract on Bile Duct Ligation in Male Rats

Abstract

Introduction. Cholestasis is caused by malfunction of the hepatobiliary system. This disorder is the result of the accumulation of bile fatty acids and other toxins in the liver. The aim of the current study was to investigate the antioxidative and hepatoprotective effects of methanolic extract of Origanum majorana L. (OM) on hepatic disorder and tissue damage induced by bile duct ligation (BDL) in rats. Materials and methods. Twenty-eight male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups including sham control group received vehicle (SC-V), bile duct ligation received vehicle (BDL-V), bile duct ligation group received OM extract (BDL + OM), and sham control group received OM extract (SC + OM). One day after surgery, the animals received vehicle or methanolic extract of OM 300 mg/kg/day for 7 consecutive days by oral gavage. Finally, the animals were anesthetized and the blood samples were collected from each animal. After sacrificing of animals, liver tissue from each rat was removed and divided into three parts: one part was used for preparing of homogenized tissue, one part was fixed in 10% neutral formalin for histopathology examination, and the third part was kept in liquid nitrogen for gene expression analysis. Biomarkers of oxidative stress in the liver tissue and serum, as well as histopathological changes of the liver, were assessed. Also, the gene expression of IL-1, TNF-α, TGF-β, and α-SMA has been measured. Results. The results showed that BDL-V significantly increased the activity of ALT, AST, ALP, and total bilirubin compared to the SC-V group. The oxidative stress markers such as MDA and FRAP significantly increased due to BDL, while the CAT activity reduced in the BDL-V group compared to SC-V group. Oral treatment with OM reduced ALT and AST activity, although it was not statistically significant. OM treatment considerably increased the activity of CAT compared to BDL group. BDL-V induced a significant histological change in the liver, while treatment with OM at a dose of 300 mg/kg showed a minor effect on histopathological changes. In addition, the mRNA of IL-1, TNF-α, TGF-β, and α-SMA significantly increased in the BDL-V group, while treatment with OM only significantly reduced TGF-β in comparison with BDL-V rats. Conclusions. The results of the present study showed that oral administration of OM extract had a moderate protective effect on cholestasis due to BDL. Indeed, more studies with different doses of extract are needed to confirm this finding.

Diacerein ameliorates cholestasis-induced liver fibrosis in rat via modulating HMGB1/RAGE/NF-κB/JNK pathway and endoplasmic reticulum stress

“…Moreover, histopathological changes further confirmed the BDL-induced liver injury. These findings are in line with the study by Gheitasi et al 33 . An increase in these enzymes reflects the deterioration of structural integrity and permeability of hepatocytes membrane by the toxic bile salts' detergent effect, allowing these enzymes to escape into the blood 34 .…”

Origanum majorana L. Extract Attenuated Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in Rat Model: Effect on Oxidative Stress, Apoptosis, and Proliferation

“…Moreover, Omezzine et al [ 85 ] documented a relation between inhibited apoptotic cell death pathway by testosterone in the ventral prostate and reduced both caspase-3 and -6 mRNA production. A recent study also observed the exhibited induction of BPH together with reduced caspase activity [ 63 ]. The resistance to induce cellular apoptosis results in increased severity of BPH and might progress to prostate cancer.…”

“…The correlation between oxidative stress and BPH was previously reported with a significant reduction in serum and prostate antioxidant levels in BPH rats [ 5 , 33 , 58 ]. Previous studies reported the antioxidant activity of O. majorana against renal and hepatic injuries [ 36 , 37 , 63 ] and attributed this property to the effect of its secondary metabolites, particularly flavonoids, in preventing oxidative cell damage through their water-soluble effects [ 64 ], in addition to its inhibiting effect on the DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) [ 38 ]. These reports are consistent with our data considering reduced prostatic MDA content and elevated prostatic SOD content with O. majorana .…”

Antioxidant and hepatoprotective activities of Juniperus excelsa M. Bieb against bile duct ligation-induced cholestasis

“…Several studies have been reported that the antioxidants mitigate BDL-induced liver injury ( 29 54 ). There is much evidence that herbal medicine including Origanum majorana ( 55 ), and Nasturtium officinale ( 29 ) has hepatoprotective effects through antioxidative effects against BDL-induced cholestasis. The antioxidant activity of JE essential oils and extracts was determined ( 56 ).…”