The present study was designed to determine the possible protective and therapeutic effects of olive oil and/or Ficus carica against radiation-induced cytological and histological changes in liver and Kidney of male albino rats. Irradiation was performed by whole-body exposure of rats to an acute single dose gamma radiation of 6 Gy. Irradiated rats received, via gavage, extra virgin olive oil (7.6 ml/kg b.wt), and/or extract of Ficus carica fruit (1 g/kg b.wt) before and/or after radiation exposure. Six rats were sacrificed on the 1st and 15th-day post-irradiation exposure at the control and treated irradiated subgroups. Time duration for this experiment was one month.
The γ-Irradiation treated group revealedhisto pathological alterations in the hepatic and renal tissues on the 1st and 15th-day post-irradiation as compared to the control rats. The administration of the olive oil and/or Ficus carica showed beneficial results against the deleterious effects of γ-irradiation. A better ameliorative effect was noticed with the combined treatments that revealed the synergistic effect between them.
In conclusion, the administration of the olive oil and/or Ficus carica provides considerable radioprotective and radiotherapeutic effects against whole body γ-radiation in male Wistar albino rats.