Study of Prophylactic Action of Linseed Oil against Acetaminophen Induced Oxidative Stress and Liver Damage in Albino Rat

The protection conferred by linseed oil against acetaminophen (APAP) induced oxidative stress and liver damage has been evaluated in adult albino rat. Hepatotoxicity has been evaluated with the indication of elevated levels of enzymatic activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and bilirubin level in acetaminophen administered values as compared with control values. Co-treatment with linseed oil significantly restored the elevated levels of hepatic serum markers ALT, AST and ALP. This may result from cellular leakage due to peroxidative damage of the membrane. Significant reduction in antioxidant activities of SOD, GSH, CAT and GPx were obtained as compared with control values. At normal conditions, the body defense mechanism against oxidative stress, marked by endogenous antioxidant enzymes, such as SOD, GSH, CAT and GPx prevent cells damages induced by free radicals. The protective effects of linseed oil are dose and tissue-dependent, due to differences in the inherent susceptibility of each tissue in rat. Remarkable elevation in bilirubin level and reduced level of cholesterol in comparison to control group of rats were found in the study. While lowered the bilirubin level and higher the cholesterol level when compared with APAP treated group is attributed to hepato-cellular damage. Linseed supplementation in group III has returned the levels of bilirubin and total cholesterol to almost the same levels as the control while cholesterol decreased slightly below the control. The elevated bilirubin level in liver implies the overwhelming influence of oxidative stress generated by the APAP and likely due to the failure of antioxidant defense mechanisms. Importantly, linseed oil lowered the changes in total cholesterol level in the combination of acetaminophen. Acetaminophen-induced liver injury has also been marked by lipid oxidation. Thus, the augmented antioxidant enzymes levels in liver tissues of rat