Introduction: Liver fibrosis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide without effective treatment. Oxidative stress and inflammation play an important role in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis. Pumpkin Seed Oil (PSO) is known to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic properties.
Objectives: This work aimed to investigate the effect of PSO on the experimentally induced liver fibrosis in the adult male albino rat for the first time up to our knowledge, with reference to different underlying mechanisms.
Material and Methods: Fifty adult male albino rats were divided into Group I (n = 20): subdivided equally into plain and sham control subgroups. Group II: PSO (n = 10): PSO 4 ml/kg/day for 4 weeks. Group III: Liver fibrosis (n = 10): CCl4 1ml/kg intraperitonieally, twice a week for eight weeks. Group IV: Liver fibrosis treated with PSO (n = 10): liver fibrosis was produced as in group III. After 4 weeks of CCl4 treatment, the rats were given PSO as group II. At the end of the experiment, blood samples and liver sections were subjected to biochemical, histological (light and electron) and immunohistochemical studies.
Results: The liver fibrosis group exhibited a significant increase in the levels of liver function tests, MDA, TNFα, IL-1β and IL-6 as well as a decrease in the levels of serum albumin, SOD and CAT as in comparison to the control group. Liver sections showed vacuolated cytoplasm, pyknotic nuclei and degenerated mitochondria. Furthermore, marked fibrosis was detected by an increase in the % area of collagen deposition. Upregulation of αSMA, TGFβ1 and caspase3 immunoreactions were detected. PSO ameliorated all the examined parameters via its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic properties.
Conclusion: There is a promising potential for PSO as a natural therapeutic agent against liver fibrosis.