Evaluation of radical scavenging properties and the protective role of papaya fruits extracts against oxidative stress in rats fed aflatoxin-contaminated diet

This study aimed to determine the total phenols and DPPH scavenging properties of aqueous (AE)and ethanolic (EE) extracts of papaya fruits in vitro and to evaluate their hepatoprotective effectsagainst aflatoxicosis in vivo. Sixty female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into six groups andtreated for 4 weeks including the control group, the group fed aflatoxins-contaminated diet (2 mg/kg diet); the group treated orally with EE (250 mg/kg b.w); the group treated orally with AE (250 mg/kg b.w); the groups fed AFs-contaminated diet and treated with EE or AE. At the end of the treatmentperiod, blood and liver samples were collected for biochemical, histological and histochemicalstudy. The results revealed that AE has higher total phenol content and DPPH scavenging activityif compared to EE. The in vivo results indicated that animals fed AFs-contaminated diet showedsignificant biochemical, histological and histochemical changes typical to those reported inthe literature. Animals treated with the extracts and AFs showed a significant improvement in allbiochemical parameters, histological and histochemical picture of the liver. This improvement wasmore pronounced in the group treated with AE. It could be concluded that papaya fruits can beused as a functional dietary ingredient to reduce hepatotoxicity.