Abstract
Palm date fruits have been used extensively for the traditional cure of liver illnesses and malaria in the Arab Peninsula. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate for the first time the in vivo hepatoprotective and the antioxidative effects of different varieties of palm date fruits in relation to their total phenolic contents and total flavonoids. This study was carried out using the CCl4-induced liver injuries in rabbits for two different periods: 4 and 20 h after CCl4-subcutaneous injection and oral administration of palm date syrups (5 g kg(-1) b.wt.). The antioxidative and hepatoprotective effects of palm date syrups during the first and second experimental periods (4 and 20 h) were very clear, since results of plasma ALT and AST and TBARS (from liver homogenate) of the control were significantly higher than those obtained from animals treated with syrups. The present findings do strongly recommend to increase the consumption of palm date fruits, especially in cases of liver diseases and for the prevention of other serious diseases such as cardiovascular and cancers.