Status of Carbon Tetrachloride Induced Oxidative Stress Markers in Wistar Rats Fed with Allium sativum (Garlic)

Abstract

Concerns over the safety of medicinal drugs are rife, following consumption of some herbal preparations with their underlying pathogenesis remaining cryptic. The awareness of the far-reaching effects of herbal preparations is germane to continued use of plants. For instance, free radicals from day to day release of metabolites can lead to numerous damages to cardiovascular and other body systems. The situation can be minimized through the dietary inclusion of food nutrients with anti-oxidant properties. In this study, the status of oxidative stress markers induced with carbon tetra-chloride in Wistar rats fed with Allium sativum (garlic) was investigated. 30 Wistar rats were randomly assigned into five groups of six animals each (n = 6): G1, G2, G3, G4 and G5. G1 (normal control) - received 1 ml/kg of groundnut oil G2 (negative control) - received single dose of 1 ml/kg Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) after 2 weeks. G3 and G4 - got 250 and 500 mg/kg Allium sativum extract twice daily for 2 weeks respectively and then treated with a single dose of 1 ml/kg CCl4. G5 got 150 mg/kg of Vitamin E twice daily for 2 weeks and then treated with a single dose of 1 ml/ kg of CCL4 to induce oxidative stress. Following the period of administration, the rats were sacrificed via cervical dislocation. Blood samples were collected directly from the heart (by cardiac puncture) for laboratory analysis, results expressed by assessing mean and standard deviation, evaluation of data for significance was done, using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). From the results, it is observed that garlic increased the following antioxidant enzymes like SOD, GPx, CATALASE but significantly reduced MDA and TBARs. Though garlic administration did not alter calcium ion concentration but cause a decreased globulin with increased platelets. Garlic in this study has therefore been seen to be associated with a favourable dose dependence improvement in relation with oxidative stress markers.