Effect of Thymoquinone on Ethanol-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Wistar Rats

The aim of the present study is to investigate the protective effects of thymoquinone on ethanol induced hepatotoxicity in Wistar rats. The rats were pretreated orally (using rats feeding needle) with different doses (5, 10 and 20 mg kg￣1 body weight) of TQ for 7 days and then ethanol (7.5 g kg￣1) was injected. Silymarin was used as standard hepato-protective agent for comparison. The activities of Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT), Acid Phosphatase (ACP) and Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) and levels of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α) were estimated in serum. Malondialdehyde (MDA), Glutathione (GSH), Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Catalse (CAT), nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) and Total Proteins (TP) levels were estimated in liver. It has been observed that pretreatment with TQ at 10 and 20 mg kg￣1 of body weight respectively could able to minimize the toxicity in compare to ethanol treated group as revealed by the different enzymatic assay in serum. Serum cytokines, IL-6 and TNF-α levels also significantly decreased in TQ treated groups compared to ethanol group. SOD, CAT, GSH, DNA, RNA, TP levels were decreased and MDA was increased significantly in liver of ethanol treated rats. Pretreatment with TQ protected dose dependently the damage-induced in rats liver by the ethanol injection. In conclusion, TQ protects against the liver injury caused by ethanol administration. In view of its antioxidative nature, it may be developed as an effective therapeutic agent for alcohol-induced liver disease by its antioxidative stress and anti-inflammatory features.