NIGELLA SATIVA AMELIORATES OXIDATIVE STRESS INDUCED BY DIETHYL PHTHALATE - AN IN VITRO STUDY

The present experiment was designed to assess oxidative stress, if any, caused by diethyl phthalate and its amelioration by Nigella sativa seed extract. For this, the liver and kidney homogenates were treated with different concentrations (10-40 mu g/mL) of DEP with or without Nigella sativa seed extract. Lipid peroxidation, a marker for oxidative stress along with total protein content was analyzed. The results revealed that DEP (10-40 mu g/mL) caused, significant and concentration - dependent increase in lipid peroxidation, whereas protein content reduced significantly. Maximum effect on lipid peroxidation was obtained with 40 mu g/mL DEP concentration and hence used for further studies. On addition of Nigella sativa seed extract (25-200 mu g/mL) along with DEP (40 mu g/mL) significantly reduced DEP - induced lipid peroxidation in a concentration-dependent manner. However, protein content was higher as compared to toxin alone treated ones. The effect of both DEP alone and DEP along with Nigella sativa seed extract were almost similar in liver and kidney homogenates. It is concluded from the present study that supplementation of Nigella sativa extract can be beneficial in positively modulating DEP - induced alterations in liver and kidney