Antioxidant potential of the Syzygium aromaticum (Gaertn.) Linn. (Cloves) in rats fed with high fat diet

Abstract

Objective: To combat oxidative stress due to hyperlipidemia, administration of moderate quantity of cloves in diet has been suggested. The objective of the present study was to assess the antioxidant efficacy of cloves inrats fed with high fat diet (HFD). Methods: In hyperlipidemic rats, oxidative damage was studied by assessing parameters such as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), diene conjugate (CD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), reduced glutathione (GSH) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) in liver and kidneys, and also aspartate amino transferase (AST), alanine amino transferase (ALT), urea, triglycerides, and phospholipids in serum/liver/kidneys. The effect of co-administration of cloves on the above parameters was further investigated. Results: Lipid peroxidation as evidenced by an increment In the values of TBARS, CD, urea, lipid profiles, AST and ALT and also a distinct diminution of levels of GSH in hyperlipidemic rats was found to be nullified by co-administration of cloves as these parameters registered a tendency to retrieve towards near normalcy. Antioxidant enzymes such as SOD, GAT, GPX and GST too showed enhanced activities on co-administration of cloves. Conclusions: These results substantiate the use of moderate quantity of cloves in diet as an antioxidant in offering protection against hyperllpidemia.