Hepatoprotective effect of Thymus vulgaris extract on sodium nitrite-induced changes in oxidative stress, antioxidant and inflammatory marker expression

Abstract

The herb thyme (Thymus vulgaris) has multiple therapeutic uses. In this study, we explored how T. vulgaris leaf extract protects liver cells against sodium nitrite-(NaNO2) induced oxidative stress. Mice were divided into four groups; each group received one of the following treatments orally: saline; T. vulgaris extract alone; NaNO2 alone; or T. vulgaris extract + NaNO2. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and total proteins were measured in serum using standard methods. TNF-α, hemooxygenase-1 (HO-1), thioredoxin, SOD, and GSH synthase, all of which are linked to oxidative stress, were measured using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). In mice treated with T. vulgaris extract, the effect of NaNO2 on ALT and AST levels and total proteins was reduced, and its effect on antioxidant levels was reversed. Normally, NaNO2 causes hepatocyte congestion and severe hepatic central vein congestion. Tissues in the mice treated with T. vulgaris were restored to normal conditions. Our results demonstrate that NaNO2-induced hepatic injury is significantly reduced by pretreatment with T. vulgaris extract, which protects against hepatic oxidative stress and its associated genes at the biochemical, molecular, and cellular levels.

Modulation of Cell Death Pathways for Cellular Protection and Anti-Tumoral Activity: The Role of Thymus spp. Extracts and Their Bioactive Molecules

“…T. vulgaris is a prime example of various protective bioactivities. A hydroethanolic extract (30:70; v / v ; containing CA, RA, and luteolin-7- O -glucoside (L-7-G)) successfully reduced sodium nitrate induced-hepatic injury [ 87 ]. Another ethanolic T. vulgaris extract administered to lead-intoxicated Sprague-Dawley rats was able to reduce hepatic and renal damage [ 88 ].…”

“…)- O -hexoside is one of the most common among thyme extracts ( Table 1 ), and the specific derivative L-7-G has been identified in various Thymus spp. [ 87 , 89 ]. This derivative is also the most studied among luteolin derivatives ( Table 2 and Table 3 ).…”

The Potential of Lamiaceae Herbs for Mitigation of Overweight, Obesity, and Fatty Liver: Studies and Perspectives

“…Many in vitro and in vivo studies reported the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of T. vulgaris , where it was able to decrease a wide range of inflammatory mediators such as ROS, reactive nitrogen species (RNS), and pro-inflammatory cytokines [ 47 ]. As illustrated in Table 2 , in a mouse model of liver damage, T. vulgaris played hepatoprotective effects by decreasing oxidative stress and inflammatory markers [ 48 ], and in gentamicin-treated rats, it had hypolipidemic and anti-inflammatory effects by normalizing the plasmatic AST and ALT and bilirubin level, as by restoring the normal lipid parameters and ROS production [ 49 ].…”

Effect of Thymol Extract on Trichinellosis Compared to Albendazole Among Experimentally Infected Mice

“…Besides, thyme treats gastro-intestinal disturbaances (Chander et al, 2010(Chander et al, ), has antispasmodic, expectorant, anti-jussive, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-helminthic, carminative, diuretic, sedative, anti-oxidant activities et al, 2015, relief toothache (Matthew and Natalya, 2016), anti-tumor activities (NagoorMeeran et al, 2017), antimicrobial, preservative, and antiseptic (Hasan et al, 2019). Soliman et al (2021) added that NaNO 2 -induced hepatic injury significantly reduced by pretreatment with T. vulgaris extract protected against hepatic oxidative stress and its associated genes at biochemical, molecular, and cellular levels.…”