Abstract
Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is intimately linked to hepatic steatosis, inflammation, insulin resistance (IR), oxidative stress (OS), and ballooning. A high fat diet (HFD) is considered a major etiological factor that primarily covers the numerous features of NAFLD.
Methods: The present study aimed to evaluate the protective effect of safranal on hepatic steatosis, OS, liver index, IR index, liver function enzymes, plasma lipids, TNF-alpha, malondialdehyde (MDA), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs) and nitrite (NO2-) levels in a NAFLD rat model fed with a HFD for 12 weeks. The ELISA kits were used to measure TNF-alpha and insulin in serum and plasma, respectively.
Results: HFD significantly induced hepatic steatosis, OS, IR, liver, and oxidative enzyme elevation and inflammation in experimental animals. Rats treated with safranal in ascending order of doses 250 and 500 mg/kg orally for 4-weeks showed a reduction in hepatic lipid's accumulation, liver index, hepatic enzymes, collagen, hepatic oxidonitrative stress markers (like AOPP, MDA and NO2-), and raised the levels of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes. Glutathione system components, namely glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) levels were also restored in the safranal-treated groups. The reduction in serum TNF-alpha and IR provided further support to the anti-NAFLD effect of safranal. Moreover, the histopathological images indicated reverse of NAFLD activity score (NAS) through mild fatty degeneration, ballooning and inflammation in hepatocytes of treated groups.
Conclusion: Findings of blood and tissue analysis concluded that safranal can be a good choice in the management and cure of NAFLD.