Hepatoprotective Role of Wheatgrass on Alcohol and ΔPUFA-Induced Oxidative Stress in Rats.

Alcohol abuse is recognized as the most common cause for the development of various abnormalities including liver disease. Excessive free radicals are generated during the metabolism of ethanol. The ingestion of alcohol along with polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) aggravates the production of free radicals and enhances the oxidative stress. Medicinal plants contain active phytocomponents, which are the principal healthcare resources. We aimed to analyze the effect of wheatgrass extract on alcohol and thermally oxidized PUFA (ΔPUFA) induced oxidative stress in male albino Wistar rats. The levels of marker enzymes gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lipid peroxidative markers; thiobarbutric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and lipid hydroperoxides (LH), the levels of enzymatic (catalase [CAT], superoxide dismutase [SOD], glutathione peroxidase [GPx]) and nonenzymatic (reduced glutathione [GSH], vitamin E, vitamin C) antioxidants were analyzed in liver to evaluate the effects of wheatgrass. The levels of TBARS and LH were significantly (p ≤ .05) increased in alcohol + ΔPUFA group, which were found to be reduced on treatment with wheatgrass. The levels of both enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidants were significantly (p ≤ .05) decreased in alcohol + ΔPUFA group, which were found to be restored on treatment with wheatgrass. From the results obtained, we conclude that wheatgrass protects the liver against alcohol and ΔPUFA induced oxidative stress.